Innovation In Masonry.

INNOVATION IN MASONRY .

THE BANQUET .

AT this season of the year , when time hangs heavily on the hands of mauy of us , it is not out of place to look back upon the past , to call to mind occasions when we have lost opportunities which appeared to promise well , or to think over what mi ght have been , had events happened ^ otherwise than they did . How many a retiring W . M . is there , who can look back upon the evenings he has spent as ruler of his Lodge , and not feel that he might have done better in this or that particular if he had had

longer time at his disposal in which to elaborate a speech , or perform some task , which , by virtue of his office , fell to hs lot to perform ; while , on the other hand , how many brethren are there who cannot remember some well-prepared evening ' s entertainment being upset , in consequence of the lateness of the hour preventing the programme from being carried out , many of those who attended having been compelled to leave even before the toast list was fairly started upon ? Our present object is to consider whether

some innovation is not possible which will allow of an ordinary Lodge meeting being brought to a conclusion at a reasonable hour , and at the same time afford ample opportunity for the several toasts on the list to receive proper attention , while the majority of the brethren are yet present . The amount of time available for the Lodge banquet .

ana atter proceedings in small places , is frequently governed by the arrangements of the local railway service , while in large towns numbers ' of the brethren having long journeys to make before reaching home , are forced to leave early on that account , and thus we find that many a meeting is broken up before the programme is completed . This break-] ng np of a meeting must be very discouraging to the "W . M . V ^ trs ° f tbe Lo ( 3 r ? > who may have prepared speeches which they hoped to give to large audiences , or it may be wat a most enjoyable Masonic entertainment had been

arranged for , to listen to which only a very small number oi brethren remained . Visitors of distinction , Officers , « nd others who it was intended should be called upon to reply to special toasts had to be passed over , and altogether ne meeting , which gave promise of satisfaction to all ,

|«« ea out really a failure . Can this be presented ? We •J ?* lk c » n , bnt it must be by a radical change being trocluced into onr regular system . It is very certain that e ame ndrrienfc cannot be secured by making tbe hour of eeting earlier than at present ; for even now , with the B * wt amount of work to be got through , many of the

ges are summoned at most inconveniently early hours , bin , ^ therefore , find some means of hurrying on the eon ? l 7 toasfc lisi Tbe former is real ' y ' y ° * e reall + i ° tbe Locl S officials , so that the latter course is ^ 7 the one from which we must hope for relief . nw 6 gently had occasion to give particulars of a

bancham 7 \ took P lace in Germany ( not of a Masonic rulei in t ? f then fotind ' so the re P ° rfc 8 tatecl > fhafc the gres * ( ' u . cotmtry was to give the toasts dnring the pro-»** fcW C mCLUeL We were at once strack wffch the tn Vr . ? a course could be most convenientlv atmlied

serfonT u- e atbenn gs > and we yet fail to see any very Possiblt " ^ - ° t 0 ifc ' If ifc were ado P Jt would be before fl . P , of the usual Preliminary toasts , at least , ^ the conclusion of the banquet , and that , too , with-

Innovation In Masonry.

out vory much additional time being occupied , as there ' ¦ are invariably pauses between the courses long enough to allow of the proposal of a toast , or the reply of the brother associated with it . The banquet once concluded ,

the home toasts could at once be started upou , and it might then be possible to get fairly through tbe list before any great number of the brethren had been compelled to leave . How often is it that the toast of the

Charitiesone of the most important on the list , and yet usually found near the end—is proposed , and responded to , when more than half of the brethren have left , while it is almost the rule for the Officers , when their turn comes , to have to reply to empty benches ? This might be pre .

vented by the adoption of what , we are told , is the custom in Germany , and much more enjoyable evenings , because not so hin * ried , would be possible . Another improvement might follow the introduction of this innovation ; the few v . ho are given to long speech-making

might , by arrangement , be called upon for their reply at a time when their remarks would be less wearisome . At all events we think that the innovation is worthy of a trial , and we shall be very pleased to hear the result if any of our readers decide on adopting it ; we shall then be in a better position to judge of its ultimate success .

Anonymous Authorship.

ANONYMOUS AUTHORSHIP .

AS an abstract question Anonymous Authorship is a knotty point . As a matter of fact , experience has shown that the advantages of anonymity are too great to warrant a change from the practice that is almost

universal in journalism . The publication of a name , in some instances , gives power to the writer ; but the bearers of great reputations are few compared -with the vast majority whose title to be heard is the inherent value of their

thoughts and style . Many a man has gamed his first step on the ladder of fame by the force of his own individuality stamped upon his productions . His personality , instead of ensuring success , would , if known , most likely be tbe very means of destroying his chance . No doubt there are

exceptions in the Cases of men of genius . Probably the late Mr . Charles Dickens needed not the aid of secrecy to insure a hearing . He thought otherwise , and adopted the plan of submitting his first literary efforts to the

test of a judgment unbiassed by personal considerations . Douglas Jerrold did the same , and discovered that he had the faculty of genius , In both instances the work made tho names famous . It was the same in the

case of Sir Walter Scott , who produced his earlier books anonymously . The list of authors and authoresses who have adopted tbe same course could be multiplied , but enough is here shown to prove that a name is not necessarily essential to power in writing . It might be added

that in many instances the publication of the name of a writer might be fatal to the influence that would otherwise be exercised . The disclosure of the authorship of Junius ' Letters would have robbed them of nearly all their sting .

Those who knew the writer would easily find motivesfor his action , and those who did not know him would be ready to believe any ill-natured thing that might be said of him . We are not now urging that Junius was right ; ifc is not necessary to judge him . He wrote powerfully , and it is