Mark Masonry.

MARK MASONRY .

— : o : — GRAND LODGE .

THE Quarterly Communication of this Grand Lodge will be < . held at Mark Masons' Hall , Great Queen Street , Lincoln ' s Inn Fields , on Tuesday , the 31 st inst ., at five for six o'clock in the afternoon . AGENDA . 1 . Read and , if approved , confirm Minutes of Quarterly Communication of 1 st June 1897 .

2 . REPORT OF THE GENERAL BOARD . During the three months ending 30 th June 1897 , there have been issued : —Mark Certificates , 190 ; total number registered , 37 , 094 . Warrants for two new Lodges , viz .: — No . 505 , Noel , Kington-on-Thames . No . 506 , Mizpah , Woodstock , Cape Colony .

Royal Ark Mariner Certificates , 81 ; total number registered , 5 , 255 . Warrants for Two Royal Ark Mariner Lodges , viz .: — •Martaban Lodge , to be attached to the Philanthropy Lodge , No . 79 , Moulmein , Burmah . Sarnian Lodge , to be attached to the Sarnian Lodge , No . 425 , ; . Guernsey .

R . W . Bro . Col . John Charles Macglashan , J . P ., District Grand Master for Jamaica , having resigned his appointment , His Royal Highness the Grand Master has been pleased to appoint R . W . Bro . William Andrews to that office .

His Royal Highness has also been pleased to appoint R . W . Bro . Idris Bey Ragheb Grand Master of the National Grand Lodge of Egypt , to be ' District Grand Master for North Africa . His Boyal Highness has been pleased to re-appoint for a further term of •three years , R . W . Bro . Rev . J . S . Brownrigg as Provincial Grand Master for Buckinghamshire .

The William Pearl Lodge , No . 283 , Mysore , India , having ceased to meet for some years , the Warrant has been returned to Grand Lodge . Three original members of the Fidelity Lodge , No . 31 , in abeyance . since 1860 , having petitioned for a remission of dues to the present date , the Board were pleased to grant such remission , the petition having been strongly recommended by the Provincial Grand Master , and they were authorised to resuscitate the Lodge .

FUND OF BENEVOLENCE . The twenty-ninth annual festival was held at Freemasons' Tavern , on the 7 th July , under the presidency of the B . W . Bro . Lt .-Col . A . B . Cook Provincial Grand Master for Middlesex . The sum of £ 3 , 100 was announced as having been paid and promised . This being the largest result ever declared , the Board have great pleasure in congratulating the Chairman and the Board of Stewards .

The thirtieth annual festival will be held in July 1898 , under distinguished presidency , and the Grand Secretary will be happy to receive ¦ the names of Ladies and Brethren willing to act as Stewards .

The following cases have been relieved : — Mrs . E . W ., Lodge No . 387 ... ... £ 10 Mrs . A . E . P ., Lodge No . 387 ... ... £ 10 ( Signed ) , R . LOVELAND-LOVELAND President . FRANK RICHARDSON Vice-President .

C . FITZGERALD MATIER Grand Secretary . 3 . A Motion will be made that the Report be taken as read . 4 . A Motion will be made that the Report be received and entered on the Minutes .

5 . A Motion will be proposed that the Report he adopted . 6 . Presentation of Charity Jewels to the Stewards of the last Benevolent Fund Festival .

Invitations for the next meeting of the Provincial Grand Mark Lodge of East Anglia were received , on the occasion of the annual meeting , reported in our last , from George Graveley Lodge , 461 , at the Eoyal Hotel , Chingford ; and from St . Nicholas Lodge , 413 , at Harwich .

The Mother Lodge.

THE MOTHER LODGE .

THERE was Bundle , station master , An' Beazeley of the rail , An' Ashman , commissariat , An' Donkin o' the jail ; An' Blake , conductor sergeant—Our master twice was ' e ,

With 'im that kept the Europe shop , Old Framjee Eduljee . Outside , " sergeant I Sir I Salute ! Salaam 1 ' t' Inside , " brother " an' it dosen't do no ' arm . We meet upon the Level an' we parted on the Square ,

An' I was Junior Deacon in my Mother Lodge out there . There was Bola Nath , accountant , And Saul , the Aden Jew , An' Din Mohammed , draughtsman ,

Of the Survey office , too . There was Babu Chicekerhitty , An' Amir Singh , the Sikh , An' Castro of the fittin ' -sheds , A Roman Catholic .

The Mother Lodge.

We ' adn't good regalia , An' our Lodge was old an' bare ; But we knew the Ancient Landmarks , An' we kept them to a hair . An' lookin' on it backwards It often strikes me thus : There ain't such things as ' eathen , now , Except , per ' aps it ' s us .

For monthly after labour We'd ail sit down an' smoke , ( We dursn't give no banquets Lest a brother ' s caste be broke ) , An' man on man got bukkin ' Religion an' the rest , An' every man comparin' , Of the God 'e knowed the best .

So man on man got started , An' not a beggar stirred , , Till mornin' waked the parrots An' that dam' brain-fever bird . ' . ' . ¦ ¦ We'd say 'twas very curious all to bed

An' we'd go ' ome , With Mohammed , God an' Shira Changin' pickets in our ' ead . Full oft on gov ' ment service This wanderin' foot 'ath pressed An' bore fraternal greetin ' s ,

To the Lodges east and west . Accordin' as commanded , From Ko ' at to Singapore , But I wish that I might see them In my Mother Lodge once more .

I wish that I might see them , My brethren , white and brown , With the burlies smellin' pleasant An' the ag-dan passing down , An' the old Khansannah snorin ' On the bottle Khana floor , Like a brother in good standing With my Mother Lodge once more .

Outside , " sergeant ! Sir I Salute ! Salaam I " Inside , " brother " an' it dosen't do no ' arm . We met upon the Level an we parted on the Square , An' I was Junior Deacon in my Mother Lodge out there . —Rudyard Kipling , in " Canadian Craftsman . "

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GAIETYEESTAUEANT, STIR ^ lsriD . LUNCHEONS ( HOT and COLD )—At Popular Prices , in BUFFET and EESTAUEANT ( on 1 st floor ) . Also Chops , Steaks , Joints , Entrees , & c , in the GEILL BOOM . AFTERNOON TEAt . Consisting of Tea or Coffee , Cut Bread and Butter , Jam , Cake , Pastry , ad lid , at 1 / - per head ; served from 4 till 6 in EESTAUEANT ( 1 st floor ) . DINNERS IN RESTAURANTFrom 5-30 till 9 at Fixed Prices ( 3 / 6 and 5 / - ) and a la Carte . Smoking after 7-45 . AMERICANBAR. THE GRILL ROOM is open till 12-30 . ' PRIVATE DDfING ROOMS P 0 R LARGE AND SMALL PARTIES . SPIERS AND POND , Ltd ., Proprietors .