Next Week's Festival.

new annuities being the result . What we _ should have liked was the creation of fifty new annuities , of a smaller amount than usual . This could have been done without entailing any additional outlay , and a blessing would have been conferred on thirty more

old people than will now be the case . Lven had the Committee decided that £ 720 per annum was the extreme limit of the increase they could recommend , they would have been able to advise the creation of twenty-five new annuities for the Male Branch of £ 16 10 s each , and twenty-five for Widows at the rate

of £ 12 10 s each , or a total new outlay of £ 725 per annum . This would have been a true Jubilee increase , and although it might have entailed a little extra trouble to bring about , we think it would have well repaid any additional labour bestowed upon it . But different ideas have prevailed , and our long cherished

hope has been doomed to disappointment . Let us hope this is the only disappointment that will be experienced in connection with this Jubilee celebration , and that in all other respects the Anniversary Festival of the Benevolent Institution for 1892 may be deserving of the highest praise , and give the greatest satisfaction to all interested in the Charitable Institutions of Freemasonry .

What wine shall we drink ? " is a pertinent question when the order of the course has to be considered . The greatest attention has been paid by the Stewards to these little matters of detail so important to the comfort aud satisfaction of tho brethren and their guests . The special

wine committee was told off by the Stewards to settle the question of the champagne to be supplied for the Festival next week , and upon the now more universally admitted

plan of selection , known as that of " judgment , not labels , " bottles figured on i he testing board by numbers only , and one of the wines selected was that of the fast becoming famous brand of " Veuve Monnier et ses Fils . "

Stray Shots By A Young Mason.

STRAY SHOTS BY A YOUNG MASON .

rj iHE prosperity of our Order should , and undoubtedl y A does cause a thrill of pleasure to every true Mason when he contemplates its marvellous growth under the drouth of indifference , storms of treachery , and whirlwinds of oppression and persecution . The grandest example of

what can be done is seen to-day in Mexico , where the noble Diaz stands as firm as a rock itself , at the helm of the ship of state , guiding it through the breakers , and the storm raised by tho Jesuits in their last desperate effort to regain control of their temporal power and thus hold Mexico in a Btate of ignorance and slavery .

Such Masons are men worth having . But even our noble Southern brother could not have done what he has unaided . In order to accomplish what he has he was obliged to have the co-operation of faithful brothers who

in reality "dwell in unity . " Within that circle petty bickerings and personal animosities had no place , for if they had they would have caused the rnin of the Order there , as well as tho death of liberty in the country .

I am a young Mason , but I fancy I can see where improvement can be made nearer home which will impart to us that thorough union of spirit necessary for strength enough to meet such a crisis , as is occurring in our sister Republic in tbe South . While our members are large , and the membershi

ps of the Lodges are constantl y increasing , there is lacking to a certain extent the active interest in the workings of the Lodges and close communion among the members there should be , to have a thorough understanding and actual brotherly feeling . Out of a membership of 200 or 300 there will not be over 50 who

attend the meetings with anything like regularity . The consequence is that when they do turn out in full force , though brothers in name , they are strangers in reality . Should they realize how difficult this makes the

Master ' s position and that of the other Officers of the Lodge there is no doubt every member would endeavour to be present as often as possible . With a continued attendance the feeling oi strangeness would wear off , and an interchange of views and confidence take its place . The

Stray Shots By A Young Mason.

diffident would feel at home . The active would be encouraged to greater efforts , and the indifferent would awake from their torpor to the real importance of their membership in the Lodge . From the moment every man , who can , will attend his

Lodge meeting the Lodge will shoot upwards the Officors be stimulated and true Masonry exemplified in the intercourse of its members . It may be argued that under such circumstances as exist in Mexico , we would also stand solidly shoulder to shoulder .

Of course , we would , or we would not be Masons . But would we not be much better prepared for the emergency if we were more thoroughly and personally acquainted with each other ? Would not the spirit of tho Lodge carried into our daily intercourse with each other to

a greater extent , assist us r I think it would . Another thing which strikes me is that too little attention is paid the first degree , not by the Officers of the Lodge , but by the members , who rarely put themselves out to be present on the night the first is worked . In this

connection it should be remembered that the impressions received by tbe candidate upon his first seeing " the light " are indelible and last a life time . He goes through the second and third much impressed with tho ceremonies , but the almost awful solemnity of the first stands out by itself in his memory .

The scene when he is brought to light , and the faces of his surrounding brethren , is a picture stamped upon his heart for all time to come . From the surroundings he receives his first impressions of the Lodge , its work , its

magnitude , and its value , and though he may afterward ascertain that the attendance at his initiation was but a handful of the real membership , the first impression remains with him to a great extent .

In this may be found a key to the indifference , or at least lukewarm interest taken in the workings of the Order by so many who should be active . As soon as the Lodge is called off for the second section of the first degree a great many retire , leaving but a amall company to listen to the lecture .

During the first section , after the candidate has seen " the light , " his mind is occupied with the ceremonies of his initiation , so he really does not have a chance , or the inclination , to look around the room , or if he does so it is with a confused sense of numbers .

It is then at the opening of the second section that he has an opportunity to glance around him with a view of noticing his fellows , and he sees but a comparatively small number , when , as a matter of fact , there should be as many as possible present .

Extend to the new member the warm recognition he has been taught to expect , make him acquainted and thoroughly at home on his first appearance as well as afterward , and in nine cases out of ten you will have an enthusiastic Mason , devoted to the interests of the Order and his Lodge .

I do not write the above for the purpose or with the desire of finding fault with the Grand Order to which I am proud to belong , because my lines have fallen in particularly pleasant places , but as the impressions of a young Mason received from observation in various Lodges , and

given with a hope that some of the suggestions may be worth considering . Compte De Paris openly says with the help of the Jesuits he hopes to restore the monarchy to France ; Mexico is fighting against the sway of fanaticism ;

and dark clouds are gathering on the horizon everywhere , foretelling of devastating and bloody wars in which nationality , politics and religion will each have full sway according to their different localities .

At such a time it behoves us to remain a solid wall of Masonry , cemented by brotherly love and impervious to the shot and shell hurled against us by onr enemies . Hoping my remarks may be received in the spirit in

which they are written , I will draw this to a close by saying , let us meet upon the level and part upon the square in every day life as well us in the Lodge . —P . L . —American Tyler .

HOLLOWAY ' Pir . ts AJTD OiifTMBNi . —Rheumatism and Gont . —These purifying and soothing remedies deserve the attention of all persons liable to gout , sciatica , or other painful affections of tho muscles , nerves , or joints . The ointment should bo applied after the affected parts havo been patiently fomented with warm water , when the ointment should bo diligently rubbed

upou tho adjacent skin , unless the friction causes pain . Holloway ' s Pills should bo simultaneously taken to diminish pain , reduce inflammation , nnd pnvify the blood . This treatment abate 3 the violence , and lessens the frequency of trout , rheumatism , ar . d all spasmodic diseases which spring from hereditary predisposition or from any accidental weakness of constitution . Tho Ointment checks the local malady , while the P 1 II 3 restore vital power .