The Theatres, &C.

Macs , and the celebrated Stebbing ' s troupe of aorobata . A morning performance of the Christmas programme , including the ballets of " Nina " and " Le Bivouac , " will be given on Boxing Day .

Gaiety . —Under the management of Messrs . Nazir and Hollings . hea'J , a company of Parsees are announced to maki their appearanoe here this evening ( Saturday ) , in selections from " Solomm'a Sword , " " Sikuntala , " " Lady of Lyons , " " Katharine and Petmohio , " "The

Indian Fair , " & o . The company consists of 60 performer * . After to-night they will appear during the week at the Opera Comiqae , whioh has been taken specially for the ocoasion , the Gaiety stage being wanted for the final rehearsals of " Jack Sheppard , " which is to be produced on Boxing Night .

Crystal Palace . —Prominent amongst tbe Holiday Arrange , ments of the Christmas Season 1835-86 at the Crystal Palace , is the Grand Christmas Pantomime " Cinderella , " written by Mr . F . C . Burnand , and produced by Mr . Augustus Harris , with the assistance of Mr . Charles Harri 3 as Stage Manager . The prodaction will be , it

is needless to state , on the scale of magnitude demanded by the vast area ooonpied by the audience . The scenery will be by Messrs . Fenton , Johnson , G . Hicks , and Emden ; the music by Mr . Oscar Barrett ; and tbe ballets and other dances havo been specially arranged by Mr . John D'Auban . An unusually strong company has

been engaged for the leading obaraotera , amongst whom we may name the Sisters Mario , Mesdames Emma D'Auban , Lilian Francis , Clithorop , Stanhope , Graves , St . George , < to ., & c . Messrs . F . Thorne , E . D . Lyous , H . J . Turner , F . Storey , John D'Auban . and the famous Paul Martinetti and his Pantomime Troupe , who will add new life

to the Harlequinade . The Pantomime will be produced on Tnesday , the 22 ud inst . For Boxing Day a long list of special attractions haa been arranged , in addition to the Pantomime ; chief amongst them being an Assanlt . at-Arms by the Military Instructors from the AlderBhot Gymnasium : a Great Military Evening

Concert , concluding with the British Army Quadrilles , by the band of the Scots Guards , with drums , fifes , and pipers , and supplementary band , numbering altogether moro than one hundred performers ; a Variety Entertainment by the Romah Trio , Wingfield ' s Dogs , the Modoc Athletes ; Herr Grais ,

the Juggler , and Madame Alphonsine , in her feats on the Rolling Globe ; the Razene * , in their daring Aerial Performance ; and many other items . A novel feature throughout tbe Christmas Holidays will be a Children ' s Fancy Fair , to be held in the West Corridor , wherein a series of elegantly-decorated booths have been

constructed , and will be aocupied by stores of all kinds of fancy wares suitable for presents . Swings , roundabouts , and other such aids to juvenile enjoyment , will also form part of this new addition

to the holiday entertainments . The illumination of the Palace by tens of thousands of tastefully arrauged lamps , and by electric light , which has been so attractive a feature of the autumn months , will also be extended and continued nightly .

The Veteran Author of " Box and Cox —Mr . John Maddison Morton - is abont to gratify the Lovers of Private Theatricals all the world over . He has written a Series of Six new Home Plays , which will appear monthly in " London Society . " The first will come out before Christmas , in the January number , and the title is : " First Come , First Served . "

The Masonic Elections.

THE MASONIC ELECTIONS .

THE revolving year has once more brought us to the season for the Annual Masonic elections , in the Lodp ; e 3

and Royal Arch Chapters of the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge The two most important acts that a Freemason performs

are , approving or rejecting an applicant for initiation , and voting for the officers of a Lodge or Chapter . The one act introduces or shuts out a profane , making him thereby a Freemason or a rejected applicant ; and the other raises to a governing position in the Craft , with supreme power for the time being , a Brother or Companion for the full term

of a Masonic year , unless death or Masonic disability should intervene . We cannot think too carefully before we deposit a vote for a Brother as an officer of a Lodge or Chapter . His qualifications should all be positive . For example : If it be indispensable that a candidate for initiation have a good moral character , it is doubly so in the case of a Master of a Lodge , or a High Priest of a Chapter . The serious words which must fall from his lips , and his solemn official acts , would not only loso all their

force , but be a profane mockery , if they came from one of known lack of principle , or immorality . That point satisfied ( and every Brother who is a c & ididate for office invites thereby searching criticism of his merit or demerit )

the next question is , Has he the necessary ability for the creditable discharge of the functions of tho office ? Does he know the work ? Can he impressively perform it ? Can he govern his Lodge or Chapter with wisdom and discretion ? In other words , Has he character , has he

experience , has he knowledge ? If he can stand these tests , vote for him . But do not hesitate to suspect that

The Masonic Elections.

any Brother who electioneers for liumelf , lacks the necessary qualifications for office ) . Lodge and Grand Lodge , Chapter and Grand Chapter , must not ba reduced

to the level of a political arena , where anything and everything may ba resorted to for success . Profane methods are nob Masonic methods . The betl Brother for the office is the one to select and tho best Brother never

pushes himself , nor permits his friends to resort to unseemly schemes for his advancement . All Freemasons understand this , and we trust that at the elections care will be used to select absolutely the best Brethren for

official position . We urge this in the interests of the Craft . No matter how exalted Freemasonry may be in its principles , if these are not exemplified in practice by its members , and especially by its officer-bearers , it cannot maintain its ancient and honourable prestige . Only good

men and true should join us , and only good men and true , and men of ability as well , should rule us . But to secure this , every Brother and Companion mast exercise his right and duty to select the best Mason for

official preferment , ever remembering that he acts not for himself only , but for the Fraternity at large . The right to vote is a sacred trust , that none may exercise hastily ,

thoughtlessly , or otherwise than with a deep appreciation of the responsibility he is under to the body which conferred upon him the honour of being , as the case may be , either a Master Mason or a Royal Arch Mason . —Keystone

Should Read.

SHOULD READ .

rnHOUGH our Institution is old , yet new questions JL arise from year to year , to be discussed by the patient reviewer , and presented to the Craft for consideration . Officers of Lodges should be familiar with such questions , especially when they aro divested of all extraneous matter , and no labour but reading and thought

needed to reach a sound solution . But such is not the fact . Yet it is not easy to understand why so many of the officers of our constituent Lodges are not more conversant with transactions and reports of our Grand Lodge , when year by year they are furnished with three copies , which they are expected to read for their their own guidance and that of the brethren over whom they have been chosen to

preside . Surely , if they carefully read them there would be little necessity for appeals to Grand Officers for information upon questions of Masonic law and usage . A perusal would cost less time and in the end prove more beneficial to the Officers , by enabling them to dispose of questions without the delay incident to correspondence . Let Officers generally read our reports , and soon they will find new

interest displayed in their Lodges and confidence increased in their abilities . In our reading of the Proceedings of other Grand Lodges we find abundant evidence of general prosperity , and warm zeal and devotion to the

great principles of our Institution , while everywhere a lively interest is manifested to preserve its purity and integrity . But , side by side •with this , there is noticeable a growing tendency , in our own as well as other

jurisdictions , to break over time-honoured barriers , by means of special dispensations from Grand Masters , and to set aside long established usages for the accommodation of some one who for years has lived within hail of the Lodge

room ; aud thus the checks and restraints which wisdom and experience p laced at the gate of our mystic temple are set at naught . Oft-repeated warnings do not seem to deter Grand Masters from issuing special dispensations to

confer degrees out of time , under the plea of high prerogative , though in every instance the ancient law is

set aside , not for the good of the Order , but merely for individual accommodation , and the result is that in most cases those whe are thus " rushed" through make poor

Masons , who should never have been permitted to bshold Masonic light . This practice we hope to see stopped in our own jurisdistion , and we earnestly invoke every Master Mason to join us iu its condemnation . —Foice of Masonry .

Brother W . C . Smith Senior Warden 1 C 6 S has resumed duty , after his recent severe illness , as Preceptor to the Covent Garden Lodge of Instruction , which meets every Tiunsday evening , at eight o ' clock , at the Bedford Head Hotel . Maidou-lune , Covent Garden , W . C .