Columbia Chapter.

many thoughts . The most important is the relations of the Church of England to the Freemasons . One of the most imporlT & nt branches of the Christian Church denounces Freemasoiiry , and threatens excommunication to any of her children * wno venture tB be initiated into the' mystery of that proscribed Craft . The Church of England takes the opposite view , and

solemnly invites the Freemasons to' celebrate the bicentenary of her great cathedral in connection with the memory of the " eminent Freemason , Sir Christopher Wren , who built that noble and well-famed Church . According to the Church of Borne all ihose 5 , 000 Freemasons who knelt iii prayer oh Thursday last in the noble building designed by one of their Craft ought to have

been excommunicated ; according to the Church of England they wefe all welcome ( and more Freemasons also , for many could not find . ro 8 m to get in ) , and all accepted as Brethren iii the still wider sympathy of the Holy Catholic Church . Which was right ? The matter may be regarded both as respects principle and policy .

Taking policy first , the recent line of action of the Church of England in sanctioning ^ and blessing the associations of laymen for definite and lawful purposes seems both politic and Christian . The Freemasons were not the first body invited thus to a grand service at St : Paul's . At St . Luke ' s-tide two thousand medical

men ,, including in their number some of the . most eminent physicians and surgeons in the world , were assembled in memory of their ; sainted : Brother , the beloved physician and evangelist , St . Luke , to praise God in their great cathedral , to ask God for a blessing on their labours for the alleviation of human suffering , and to listen to the wise words of the Archbishop of York setting

forth the sanctity bf their priesthood of nature , and their solemn work . Now the Freemasons , who with their mystic symbolism import a sacred meaning to the building of edifices , especially those reared to the honour of God , were summoned in their different orders to pray to the " Divine Architect of the

Universe , " to sing His praises , to hear His Word in the sacred Scriptures , and the address of . the Bishop of London . Both services were great successes , and no doubt thousands bf men who have much influence on English society were edified and elevated by them ; The advantage in this direction of policy is indisputable .

But ho matter bf policy can justify any failure in principle . Supposing we accepted the view that it was desirable for the state of religion it Italy , France , and Spain , that the Church of Borne should take the Freemasons under the aegis of her protection ; that the continental Lodges ( say the " Grand Orient of Italy" ) should have their Chaplains ; that Mass should be celebrated at

aU grand Masonic functions ; that , even at St . Peter ' s at Borne ( the church which in the Roman communion holds somewhat the poSitibh of our St . Paul ' s , if not something still hi gher ) there should be on grand occasions High Mass for the Freemasons—all this , it might be urged , would , though politic , be most improper if the principles bf Freemasonry differ frbrn those of the Holy

Catholic Church , and , in fact , constitute a hew rehgibh . In this matter both the Freemasons and their friends are in a difficult position . They cannot properly defend their Order without exposing to the eye of the public all or most bf its secrets which are held unprofitable and unsuitable to be revealed . In fact , Freemasonry is , respectable though it may be in England , a

secret Fociety ; and thus is liable to all the inconveniences that secret societies have to face when attacked . Many of us are opposed to . all secret societies , and the Church of Borne has decidedly taken that position . Even the Primrose League was only authorised by Borne with difficulty , and on the plea that it was hardly a secret society , as its aims and organisation were well understood by almost every Englishman .

But the plea against all secret societies is difficult to support , especially by the Church in Borne , which was itself in the first three centuries almost a secret society . It had its " tilers " in the " ostiarii , " it had its passwords , its initiations , its secret meetings at night in the catacombs , its symbols and secret rites-This was forced on it by the persecution of the heathen , but

certainly some of the congregations of the Church of Borne under the earlier Bishops of Borne were almost as much secret societies as buv Masonic Lodges . If these early Popes were infallible , then they gave their infallible decision in favour of a secret society for the advancement of religion and morals . If they were infallibly right , then Leo XIII must be infallibly wrong , in

denouncing the Freemasons ; Certainly the bitterness of Borne against the Masonic craft has of late been very intense . The conduct of Count Leo Taxil , and the myth of Diana Vaughan ( now so wouderfully hushed up by the Vatican ) , proves how strong the sentiment of Borne must be against the Freemasons , for after

the mythical character of their chief accuser was exposed , and an " a priori" case made out that the vile accusations brought against them were fictitious , the Pope decided that the scandal of the imposture should be hushed up , and his officials have succeeded . As to the immorality of this procedure , there can be little doubt among most unprejudiced Englishmen . But in ahy

Columbia Chapter.

case it demonstrates the bitter hatred and aversion of Freemasonry that is experienced by the Roman Curia . We do not say that Leo XIII and Pius IX were altogether without reason in objecting to Italian and French Freemasonry

There are many painful scandals in foreign Lodges , but the question has often suggested itself to us whether , if the Church and her faithful clergy and laity liad talken Freemasonry under her patronage on the Continent , as she has in England , these scandals would have existed , or the anarchists and communists

of the Continent would have had any chauce of using Masonic Lodges for their evil ends . In fact , just as it is said " The best way ib put down bad books is to diffuse good ones , " so the best way to check bad Freemasons is to encourage good men to use the Order for philanthropic and Christiau principles . This has been done in England , and we believe also in Sweden and other

northern lands . We do not know all the secrets of Freemasonry , but we cannot think that the 5 , 000 mostly honourable and respected Englishmen , arid the 150 honoured English priests who were at the Masonic function at St . Paul ' s , would have anything to do with Masonry if it had beeu such a wicked thing as Bdriie

supposes , or had deserved the excommunication and ban of any branch of the Christian Church . We are convinced that the line of sympathy and patronage of Freemasonry that our own Anglian Church has adopted is wiser and more charitable than that bf wholesale denunciation and condemnation adopted by the Church of Borne . — " Church Beview . "

There can scarcely be many journalists among us who have the claim to boast ihat they have reported the great Duke of Wellington in the House of Lords , but one such was present at the installation banquet of the Gallery Lodge on Saturday , when Bro ; S . . James , of the " Daily Chronicle , " succeeded to the chair

filled during the previous year by Bro . George Tarran , of the " Guardian . " To a Lodge composed entirely of working journalists—the only such Lodge in the world , indeed— -it was of special , interest to hear how ^ just fifty years since , a young reporter , filled with trepidation at being told , on his first

appearance in the gallery of the House bf Lords , that he was to ' " take" the Duke , found his task made easy by the fact i ' hafi Wellington addressed the Peers with the clear abruptness of thfe parade-ground , and thus enabled him to do the work so well that it secured for him a permanent engagement ;— ¦ ' Daily Pbst . "

"A Sprig Of Acacia."

" A SPRIG OF ACACIA . "

SUPPLEMENTABY to our notice of last week we may add that our late Bro . E . I . Beed was an active and zealous Freemason , amongst other matters taking part in the foundation of two , new Lodges : the Fellowship , No . 2585 , where he occupied the office of J . D . : and the Victoria , No . 2671 , held at Windsor .

He was a member of the Queen s Westminster ojodge and Chapter , No . 2021 , also Secretary of the Lodge of Instruction attached thereto ; member of the Hornsey Chapter of Instruction , the Logic , Hyde Park , Westbourne , and other Lodges of Instruction , and a supporter of our Charities . He received the

. Volunteer decoration for long service , in the 18 th Middlesex Bines . As an accountant in the Great Western Railway Company's service he was much esteemed by his colleagues , and anticipated being soon superannuated after his long service . He was interred in Kensal Green Cemetery , the Rev . M . C .

Richardson , M . A ., impressively rendering the last rites . The chief mourners were the widow , and the following members of the family : Edward Martin , Willie Charles , Thomas Harry ( son ' s ); Emma , Emily ( daughters ); Mrs . E . M . Reed , Mrs . W . Reed , Mrs . Moore , Mr . Matheson , Mr . Barefoot , Bro . Allistone , Dr . Parker Young . Many of his Eailway and Volunteer colleagues were also

present , while among the Brethren representing ' the different Lodges and Chapters with which he had been connected we noticed the following , among others * . —J . Stephens G . A . D . C . England . H . Dehane P . P . G . S . D . Essex , J . Welford P . M . 'Treas . 2535 , W . Thomas P . M . 2535 P . Z ., A . Allistone 2535 , J . F . Ayton 2535 , G . Andrews 2535 , G . A . Broughton 733 , J . R .

Crook 733 , W . H . Hallett P . M . 733 , H . Harnell 733 , T . W . Allen P . M . P . Z . S . E . 733 , H . H . Bagnall 733 , A . Clark P . M . 1668 , E . J . Potter 1668 , T . M . Lamble S . W . 511 , E . Prince W . M ., J . F . Wolff S . W ., and J . Baynes J . W . 2671 , W . A . Cocks Sec . 2671 , T . W . Turner A . D . C . 2671 , W . A . Hardy Std . 2671 . The funeral arrangements were carried out by Mr . H . Cole , Harrow Eoad , who with " considerable artistic taste displayed the wreaths to the best advantage . Amongst the most

noticeable for beauty were those sent by our late Brother s children , the Victoria and Fellowship Lodges , the Queen ' s Westminster Lodge and Chapter , the Westbourne Lodge of Instruction , the Officers of the Accountant ' s Department Great Western Bailway , Col . Vickerman on behalf of the 18 th Middlesex Regiment , Bros , Welford and Broughton , & c .