Metropolitan.

The noxt toast was that of the Initiates . It had been a great pleasure , said the Master , for him to have the initiation of four gentlemen into tho Lodge on his installation night . He hoped they would each live to be good members of the Craft and a credit to the Lodge . Each of the newly admitted members responded .

Tbe W . M . now submitted the toast of tho Installing Master , of whom it might truly be said that during his year of office he had done all that lay in his power to maintain the dignity of the chair of the Lodge . The I . P . M . responded , thanking the members most cordially for the manner in whicb the toast of his health had been received .

The health of the guests came next . The W . M . said they were honoured by tho presence that evening of many distinguished Visitors , and the Lodge hoped they had all so enjoyed themselves as to desire to come again . He should "ike all to speak in response to the toast , but as that was impracticable would select three who held the honoured position of Worshipful Master at the present time in their respective Lodges to do so ; these were Brothers Siegenberg 188 , 0 . Donaldson 1963 , and G . Embling 2432 , each of whom replied .

Bro . Siegenberg referred to the interest displayed by the Master in the work of Masonic Charity . Only a few weeks back the W . M . had been one of the founders of a Charitable Association in connection with a Lodge of Instruction they were members of . If it were not for such Brethren as tho respected Grand Treasurer and the present Master of the Metropolitan Lodge the Institutions would not be in their present proud position . He hoped the Master would enjoy good health and have a successful year of office .

Bro . Donaldson had known Bro . Saunders very many years , and was convinced the Lodge would never have occasion to regret having placed him at the head of affairs , similar sentiments being expressed by the other respondent to the toast , Bro . George Emblin . Next on the list was the Past Masters of the Lodge , with which the W . M . coupled the toast of the Treasurer and Secretary , all of whom , he said , had done good suit and service in the past , and had their hearts thoroughly imbued with the desire to help on the prosperity of tbe Lodge .

, Bro . Scales and Perks responded , tbe former expressing the honour he felt it was in having held the Office of Secretary during so long a period as twelve years , during which time he could truly say he had never had the slightest disagreement with any member of tbe Lodge . He looked forward to a time of great prosperity and progress .

The Officers of the Lodge wero next toasted , and then the Tyler was summoned and concluded the proceedings in the customary manner , tho evening closing amid general expressions of approval and enjoyment .

Instruction.

INSTRUCTION .

CITADEL LODGE , No . 1897 . THE usual weekly meeting was held on the 11 th , at the Farleigh Hotel , Amhurst Road , N ., when there were present Bros . Geo . Clarke P . M . W . M ., A . Rusby S . W ., J . J . Lamigeon J . W ., F . Dunstan P . M . A . G . D . C Middx . Preceptor , Harry Willsmer Secretary , Ditchman Deacon , H . J , Calley I . G ., Witte , and Johnson .

The ceremony of initiation was rehearsed , Bro . Willsmer acting as candidate . The ceremony of passing was rehearsed , Bro . Witte candidate . Tho first section of the lecture was worked by the Preceptor , assisted by tho Brethren . Bro . A . Rusby was unanimously elected to occupy tho chair at the next meeting . o o o

Mark Masonry.

MAEK MASONRY

ST . ANDREW'S LODGE , No . 34 . A REGULAR meeting was held at the Freemasons' Hall , Cooper Street , Manchester , on Tuesday , the 8 th inst ., there being present : —Bros . Arthur Kemp Boothroyd W . M ., J . M . Veal S . W ., John Walker M . O ., Wm . Nicholl P . M . P . G . D . Eng . Sec , Sargeant Searle J . D ., Clare Edgar Towell

P . M ., Geo . A . Myers I . P . M . Prov . G . S . B ., Joseph T . Richardson P . M . P . G . S . Eng . P . P . Insp . Wks ., and others . Beyond the reading and confirmation of minutes , there was very little work to occupy the attontion of the Brethren , and they were enabled to make an early adjournment .

ROYAL SAVOY LODGE OF INSTRUCTION .

AT the Railway Hotel , Highbury , on the 13 th inst ., Bros . McDowall W . M ., G . Gregory S . W ., Bryce J . W ., Collings M . O ., Tuck S . O ., Ives J . O ., George S . D ., McDowall Treasurer , Collings Secretary , Edmonds Preceptor , G . W . Knight I . G ., and Legg . The ceremony of advancement was rehearsed , Bro . Legg candidate . The meeting was adjourned to 20 th October at seven o'clock .

Vaudeville . —The well-known and oft-quoted advice of old Sam Wellet to his son would appear to point the moral , as it adorns the tale of " Poor Mr . Potton , " a new and original farce by Clarence Hamlyn and H . M . Paull , which was produced last week by Mr . Weedon Grossmith . Had this worthy and possibly distinguished civil servant taken old Sam ' s advice to heart , he would have been beware of tbe widow Dashwood , and have been

saved much mental and bodily anguish . But on the other hand we should have had no farce . Mr . Willoughby Potton , a typical representative of the Somerset House young man , goes for a fortnight ' s holiday to Kissengen , meets the attractive Mrs . Dashwood , is fascinated with her voluptuous charms , proposes , is accepted , plighted and trothed before the action of the piece begins . We then find him paying his first visit to the house of his fiancee laden with toys for the supposed children . To his surprise they turn

out to be a young athlete who is captain of the local football team and amateur light weight champion boxer , a lady bicyclist , and a young hoyden , all determined to resent his introduction into the family . 'Tis a rude awakening , and his ardour is considerably cooled when he hears that his charmer has already disposed of two former husbands . The woman scorned arises in her wrath and disappointment , threatens an action for breach of promise , and makes things generally unpleasant . It would not be fair to

Mark Masonry.

tell bow poor Potton is extricated from his dilemma , but we may congratulate tho authors upon their ingenuity . Mr . Weedon Grossmith is quite at home in tbo title role , and causes roars of laughter throughout , indeed the burden of the piece is on his * shoulders . Miss Gladys Homfrey proves that Potton had every excuse for his infatuation . Miss May Palfroy , charming and natural as Catherhie , Miss Chippendale amusingly hoydenish as Pauline ,

and Mr . Tom Ternss as the athlete , satisfactorily represented the three " chicks "; Mr . Wilfred Dracott was a manly Dick Harrowby , Miss Alice Beet gave a good picture of the domostique fin de siecle , and Master F . Saker was clever as the solicitor's pert clerk . Mr . John Beauchamp , Miss F . Haydon , Miss Dale , Mr . F . Volpi , and Mr . J . Warden fill up the remaining characters with advantage to the piece , which was received with great applause , and promises to be successful .

Foreign Freemasonry.

FOREIGN FREEMASONRY .

Its Position Vis-a-Vis of Christianity , and of Catholicism . By D Moncrieff O'Connor , in the " Tablet . "

IF it be true that in Masonic teaching , diroct or indirect , the existonce of God and the Immortality of the Soul are " merely traditional formuhe of no meaning , " Christianity can have no actuality for it . What is the attitude of Masonry to Christianity ? On 6 th May 1844 , George Kloss , a sound Mason , versed in the Craft ,

( Continued from page 137 . ) II .

Councillor of the Grand Duke of Saxony , drew up a report on the impossibility of introducing Positive Christianity into Masonic Lodges . The Report was printed as a Manual for Masons , and is , therefore , official . From it we learn : '

Masonry is the universal religion , its dogmas are those upon which all religions are based . Its radical difference from them being that while all religious sects are , more or less , founded on certain revelations , Freemasonry essentially rejects this basis . Its firmest palladium against its enemies '

attack is this very attitude of enstrangement from all positive or revealed religion ; a palladium which has been worthily maintained and energetically defended by the most illustrious Masons . True Masons must never give it up , since the absolute exclusion of every shadow of revelation is one of the foundation stones of the Society .

In a memoire printed in 1833 for the Jubilee year of the Lodge " Day-Break " of Francfort-sur-Marne , Hess , an evangelical preacher and Mason of that place , writes : If the Masonic Lodges are considered as Christian institutions and forbid themselves to thoso who do not profess Christianity , they forget the essential

aim of Masonry ; which is to unite humanity which has been divided by religious beliefs or political events . If Masonry lose sight of its august mission , it will no longer serve but to confirm the error and prejudices of which better enlightened Masons seek to rid men . One after another , crumble the stones of that thick -ABAI built by the friends of darkness , by means of

lying and dissimulation , forebodings and legends , false traditions and accursed symbols .... It was in the Temples of Masonry and under the protection of Secrecy that generous hearted men of all classes and conditions first taught , then proclaimed , the maxims which were then execrated as heresies and criminal innovations .

And a speaker of the same Lodge , Boerne , referring to Christianity , cried : Let no one ask me its name , I know it , but I dare not pronounce it . In

the sanctuary of peace and happiness I dare not pronounce that word which , like a horrible magic withdraws the veil covering a bloody past . I dare not utter the word , which , in a few syllables means that acme of horror , murder , murderers , murdered : —Christianity .

Lest these be considered the heated words of individual irresponsibility , open the " Masonic Review " for that masonically active year , 1848 , and read an eminent Mason Fischer , thus : — " Those who attack the religious side of

the order , are fighting an illusion . Excepting a few private Lodges the great majority of the order not only do not admit Christianity , but even oppose it to the death . " How true were the words of Jochmus , a Mason , " A very paganism is nearer us than Christianity ! "

In 1717 Jews were admitted to the Order—excepting into three Lodges of Berlin : In the Masonic publication , " The voice of the Orient , " issued by Gotthald Salomon , a Jewish preacher of Homburg , Doctor of Philosophy , Honorary Member of the Lodge Silver Unicorn of the Orient of Nieubourg , we read : *

Why is the name of Christ never once pronounced in the oaths nor in the prayers at the opening of Lodges or at banquets ? Why do Masons date their era not from the birth of Christ , but , like the Jews , from the creation of the world ? . . . . But supposing we could or would forget for an instant that a Christian Masonry would be a flat contradiction , a square circle , a round square , & c .

Curiously enough an answer to one of this Jew ' s questions is discovered in a letter of a Vice-Grand Commander of the French Lodges to a Brother Mason in Berlin , the Count de Fernig to Berendt :

To affirm that Masonry only dates from the Christian era is to misconceive the solemn traditions of the Royal Art . The constant image of the Temple of Solomon .... in fact many other usages , do tbey not prove that we existed before the establishment of Christianity ? ( To be continued ) .

1 An account of it will be found in Hartsmann and Shauss ' s Masonic Archives . 2 Fete du Jubilee 1833 , p . 109 . » La Reforme , T . hi ., p . 288 . 4 T . i ., p . 194 , Homburg , Berendson , 1845 . s Gyr . La F . M . dans sa veritable signification . T . i ., pp . 216-217 .