Installation Meetings, &C.

ROTHESAY LODGE , No . 1687 . rpHE members of the above Lodge met at the Inns of Court Hotel , -L Lincoln ' s-Inn-Fields , on the 2 nd instant . Bro . W . C . Parsons P . M . and Secretary occupied the chair in the unavoidable absence of the W . M . ( Bro . E . Duret ) ; Green S . W ., Valeriani J . W ., Rntlm aa Secretary , Green jun . S . D ., Mole J . D ., Shore I . G . Lodge was formally opened , and the minutes were read and confirmed . Brother

Court was passed to tho second degree , and a ballot was taken for the admission of Mr . Greenwood , who was duly initiated into the Order . The ceremonies were perfectly rendered by Bro . ParsonsS The election of W . M . then took place , and Bro . F . Green S . W . was

unanimously chosen ; Bro . Bntlin Treasurer , and Bro . Potter Tyler . The Lodge was then closed until October , and the brethren sat down to a very excellent supper provided by Bro . Gosden . A very agreeable evening was passed .

OLD ENGLAND LODGE , No . 1790 . THE usual monthly meeting was held on Thursday , the 3 rd inst ., at the Masonio Hall , Crescent-road , New Thornton Heath . Present—Bros . E . Whittaker W . M ., J . Sargeant S . W ., H . Baber J . W ., F . Ridpath Secretary , W . Ranson S . D ., C . Tarry J . D ., C . Stengl . G ., J . Bavin Tyler ; also Bros . Pascall I . P . M ., T . Chamberlain , E . Samuel , J . Kilvington , H . W Hobbs , C . Wadsworth , J . Majore , R .

Astington , Jamea Clarke . Visitor—E . Sawyer P . M . 1619 1892 . By command of the W . M . the brethren appeared in mourning on account of the decease of His Royal Highness the Dnke of Albany . The minutes of last meeting were read and confirmed . Bro . Pascall I . P . M . proposed that the sum of five guineas be taken from tbe Lodge funds and placed on the list of Bro . Hugh W . Hobbs , who had been elected

to represent the Lodge at the next Girls' Festival . Bro . J . Kilvington seconded , and the proposition was carried unanimously . Bro . Baber J . W . then moved the following resolution : — " That the brethren of the Old England Lodge hereby desire to express the deep regret they feel at the sudden decease of His Royal Highness the Duke of Albany , K . G ., & c , and that the condolence of the brethren to Her Majesty the Queen , Her Royal Higness the Duchess of Albany , His Royal

Highness the Grand Master , and the other members of the Royal Family be recorded on the minutes , together with the announcement that by command of the W . M . the brethren appeared in mourning . " Bro . Ranson S . D . seconded , and it waa carried unanimously . Bro . Baber asked for , and obtained , the promise of the Lodge votes for the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution on behalf of Mrs . Emma Bowen , widow of the late Bro . J . T . Bowen 186 , a moat deserving candidate . Lodge was then closed in due form .

CLAREMONT LODGE , No . 1861 . THIS Lodge , named after , and meeting under the shadow of the Royal House of Claremont , held its first regular meeting of the year on Monday last , 14 th instant , when Bro . Thomas Vincent P . M . P . Z . P . G . S . B . for Surrey proposed that a letter be sent to Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Albany , expressive of the great grief felt by the brethren at the death of her beloved hnsband , their gifted

and much lamented Bro . His Royal Highness the Duke of Albany , and desire most respectfully to offer to Her Royal Highness their most sincere sympathy and condolence in her sad bereavement , and pray that the G . A . O . T . U . may sustain her under her severe affliction . This waa seconded by Bro . H . E . Frances P . Z . P . P . G . D . C . Surrey , and carried unanimously .

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

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

EVOLUTION IN MASONIC HISTORY . To the . Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHEK , —About four years ago , an old Masonic MS . was printed in your journal . As many of your readers have probably forgotten all about it , and some may never have seen such a document , a brief description of that class of Masonic MSS . is

necessary . These old MSS . are variously denominated , viz ., " Old Charges , " " Old Constitutions , " and in America they used to be styled " Old Gothic Constitutions . " In reality , however , the said MSS . were merely the rituals of the pre-1717 Masons . They all begin with a prayer , followed with the history of Masonry or legends—the seven

sciences . Next comes instrnction to the Elder or Master ( written iu Latin ) to lay the hand of the candidate on a book . This having been done , the Elder exhorted the candidate and Fellows present not to violate their oath . After which , the Elder read the laws of the Masons to the candidate , and wound up as follows : — " These charges that we now rehearse unto you and to all that

belong to Masons ye shall keep . So help you God , " & c . Iu short , the oath waa administered to the candidate in a Lodge ia tbe same fashion as an oath is administered to a witness in our Law Courts . In tho Roberts' MS ., printed in 1722 , in addition to the above oath , the candidate was made to repeat the following oath also : — " And , moreover , I , A . B ., do , iu the presence of Almighty God and

Correspondence.

my Fellows and Brethreu here present , promise and declare that I will not at any time hereafter , by any Act or circumstance what , soever , Directly or indirectly , publish , discover , reveal , or make known any of the secrets , privities , or counsels of the Fraternity or Fellowship of Freemasonrv , whioh at this time , or any time here .

after , shall be made known unto me . So help me God and the hol y contents of this book . " After which , two supplements are successively introduced into the Roberts' MS ., each containing several new regulations , the first sup . plement ia headed thus : —

" THIS CHARGE BELONGETH TO APPRENTICES . " Which ia followed by seven paragrapha . And the second ia headed , 1 ADDITIONAL ORDERS AND CONSTITUTIONS MADE AND AGREED UPON AT A GENERAL ASSEMBLY AT ON THE EIGHTH DAY OF DECEMBER 1663 . " The sixth regulation under the above heading reads aa follows : —

" That no person shall be accepted a Free Mason , unless he shall be One and Twenty Years Old , or more . " And the seventh and last paragraph requires a new oath to be administered , and the above oath , beginning with " I , A . B ., " ia here repeated , word for word , as before . Knowing that in the Harleian MS . No . 1942 there waa a similar

oath beginning with " I , A . B ., " I compared the oath in the Har . leian MS . with that of Roberts ' , and found them exactly alike . I next compared the said two MSS . from beginning to end , and I be . came satisfied that the Roberts' MS ., though the supplements were reversed , and the law about the age of the candidate was added , was nevertheless copied from the above described Harleian MS . I next

consulted Bro . Gould ' s Hiatory of Freemaaonry , and I waa not only pleased to find that Bro . Gould had arrived at the same conclusion , bnt I further learned that the law requiring a candidate to be twenty , one years of age is found in no other old MS . but that of Roberts ' . Knowing also that Anderson in hia 1738 edition of the Constitu . tion had quoted some Regulations from an old Constitution , I next

compared the said Regul itions of Anderson with those in the Roberts' MS . and found they were all alike , including the regulation requiring a candidate for Masonry to be twenty-one years of age . Hence , as the said regulation about tho required age for a candidate is to be found only in the Roberts' Constitution , Anderson must have copied the six new laws or paragraphs from Roberta' printed

pamphlet of 1722 . We see now that Anderson copied the said six paragraphs from the Roberts' MS ., and the Roberts' MS . was copied , with few exceptions , from the Harleian MS . No . 1942 . But in the Harleian MS . the supplements are not introduced by headings ; we neither learn for whom the new lawa were designed , nor when either of tbe sup .

plements were enacted . But in the Roberts' MS . we are informed that the first supplement waa deaigned as Charges for Apprentices , and in the heading to the second supplement we are informed that the new regulations were enacted by a General Assembly , held on the " Eighth Day of December 1663 . " To the above improvement Anderson made further important

improvements . Our worthy Doctor metamorphosed Roberts' "General Assembly" into a veritable " Grand Lodge , " of which the Earl of St . Alban was Grand Master , Sir John Denham Depnty Grand Master , and Sir Christopher Wren and Mr . John Web were the Grand Wardens . And instead of Dr . Anderson copying Roberts' date , viz .,

" Eighth Day of December 1663 , " he made the date of the meeting of his Grand Lodge on " St . John ' s Day , 27 th December 1663 . " These successive historic improvements , made by a succession of Masonic historians , demonstrates conclusively that even Masonio history was not exempt from the all-pervading and all-controlling influence of the Darwinian law of Development or " Evolution . " Fraternally yours , JACOB NORTON .

Symbols.

SYMBOLS .

SOME of the grandest thoughts of human life are taught by the use of symbols . In the form of parables , or allegories , the ancient Roman orators were in the habit of conveying the richest thoughts and strengthening tbe finest argument . Christ , in his teachings , for the same

purpose , adopted the custom and was very free in the use of parables . By their use he enforced some of the richest thoughts of his life . The power of these parables was fully recognised by all of his Jewish hearers . In his use of them he was peculiarly forcible in adapting them to

the character of his hearers . If at the Sea of Galilee , he spoke of tbe sea or the finny tribe ; if among husbandmen , of the sowing of seed ; if among vine-dressers , of the vine , and if among the pharisaical Jews , of the temple ; the publicans , the talents ; or , wherever he was , his grandest thought seems to have been conveyed in this manner .

Whatever was used in ancient times with such efficacy may continue to have power in elucidating thought and moulding and fashioning ideas among men . A symbol sometimes becomes a powerful argument in carrying a

thought where logic would fail , because being brought to the mind in connection with a given idea , the hearer is bronght to see , without careful elucidation upon the part of the speaker or writer . Symbolism in Masonry iti used for the purpose of carry-