Compliments Of The Season.

Compliments of the Season .

WE have much pleasure in tendering our readers the best of good wishes at this Festive period , and trust the new year , shortly to be started upon , will prove a happy and a prosperous one for every member of the Graft . There are

abundant signs of the farther advance of Freemasonry m our midst , and we hope it will be our good fortune to long continue our labours in the cause , thereby securing for us frequent opportunities of wishing our readers

j \ / T \ erry ^ tyrrjtmas ai ) d a Jlappy flevu Year

Our Early Lodges.

OUR EARLY LODGES .

DESPITE the adverse comments that followed our remarks when criticising the position taken up by the friends of Bro . John Lane , in their endeavours to place the statements contained in his " Eecords " before those of Grand Lodge , as shown in the Official Calendar of the Craft ; ancl despite the

oft-repeated statements that the authorities regard his work as the most valuable compilation ever issued in connection with English Freemasonry , and accept all its statements as irrefutable , we notice that the Calendar Committee has not adopted Bro .

Lane ' s views in regard to the date of establishment of some of the older Lodges on the Eegister , but prefers rather to continue to display that " gross ignorance" which originally led Bro . John Chadwick to address us on the subject as he did a few weeks back .

We awaited the appearance of Grand Lodge Calendar for the new year with some interest , as we were anxious to see what steps would be taken to officially endorse the very high-handed statements of Bro . Lane ' s admirers ; but we are by no means

surprised to find he and his views are quietly ignored , and we venture to believe such a course will be persevered in until such time as the whole question is brought before Grand Lodge , and a Committee appointed to carefully consider the subject . This

or something of the kind , seems to us to be imperative , in view of the many divergencies to be found in the statement of the Grand Lodge Calendar as compared with Bro . Lane ' s " Records , " which latter work is regarded in some quarters as officially , or

semi-officially endorsed by Grand Lodge . There are some , perhaps , who will blame us for again referring to this subject , as being likely to create strife in our midst ; but we must at ouce remove any such impression—it

being far from our desire to cause unpleasantness in regard to this controversy concerning the date of origin of the earlier Lodges . We are quite ready to believe there are errors in the dates set down in the Calendar , but we must adhere to the

position we originally took up : until Grand Lodge amends its records they must be regarded as law , despite the discoveries or surmises of individual writers engaged in the work of analysing Masonic History .

Board Of Benevolence.

BOARD OF BENEVOLENCE

i" I IHE Board of Benevolences last meeting for the year 1895 I was held on Wednesday evening , at Freemasons' Hall , with the President Bro . Eobert Grey in the chair . Bro . D . D . Mercer P . G . P . Senior Vice-President elected at last Grand Lodge , and Bro . C . A . Cottebrune P . G . P . Junior Vice-President re-elected

on the same occasion , occupied the Senior and Junior Vice-President ' s chairs , while the Grand Secretary ' s office was represented by fche Grand Secretary Bro . Edward Letchworth , the Assistant Grand Secretary Brother W . Lake , Brothers W . Dodd , W . H . Lee , Frank Palmer , and Henry Sadler Grand Tyler .

Among the present and past Grand Officers , and the elected members of the Board , were Bros . W . M . Stiles , Bichard Eve , Henry Garrod , T . W . Whitmarsh , S . Valentine , S . V . Abraham , C . J . E . Tijou , John Newton , W . Fisher , George Graveley , Wm . Vincent , George B . Chapman , Charles Dairy , S . H . Goldschmidt ,

James Bunker , and Walter Martin ; and amongst Masters and Past Masters of Lodges : Bros . W . A . Anson , M . I . Emanuel , J . E . Bottomley , E . W . Smith , A . H . Lilley , James Boulton , G . Powell , Thomas Lewis , F . L . Chandler , A . B . P . Collins , George Willson , John E . Peters , George Abbott , H . Massey , George

Wale , Emil Apelt , George E . W . Tucker , Lieut .-Colonel E . W . Blunt , F . Mecey , Edmond J . Turnbull , C . H . A . S . Harris , Frederick Thomas , Edwin Evans , Henry Ball , Walter Merritt ,

W . A . Scurrah , J . T . Eowe , M . Siegenberg , D . A . Langdon , Charles Henry Stone , G . Booker , E . Salomons , E . W . Nightingale , George P . Gillard , John K . Groom , T . H . Barker , W . H . Wellsman , and Edward Wavell . The Brethren first confirmed the amount of £ 360

recommended at the last meeting that the Grand Master should grant , and afterwards dealt with forty-seven cases , from Metropolitan district , Deal , Sittingbourne , Barrow-in-Furness , Farnham , Malvern , Eamsgate , Carmarthen , Winchester , Appleby , Leeds , Jersey , Folkestone , Teddington , Todmorden , Oxford , Abingdon , Maidenhead , and South Shields . A total sum of £ 925 was voted .

Two petitioners were recommended to Grand Lodge for £ 50 each , three to the Grand Master for £ 40 each , five for £ 30 each , and two for £ 25 each . Fifteen petitioners were granted £ 20 each , one £ 15 , and nineteen £ 10 each .

The Boys Scholarship Fund.

THE BOYS SCHOLARSHIP FUND .

WE are glad to learn the response for the Scholarship Fund for the Eoyal Masonic Institution for Boys continues to be most gratifying to the promoters . Amongst recent donors are the well-known names of Bros . D . P . Cama P . G . Treas ., Frank Eichardson , Lieut .-Col . George Lambert , and F . Flood P . G . D ., each contributing 10 guineas ; Sir John B . Monckton , C .

F . Marshall S . G . D ., E . Pierpoint ( W . Lanes . ) , and Sir A . Fairbairn , five guineas each , besides numerous representative donors of smaller amounts . The Percy Lodge , No . 198 , and the Grand Officers' Mess have also contributed ten guineas each ; the

Domatic Lodge , No . 177 , the Dorking Lodge , No . 1149 , the Grey Friars Lodge , No . 1101 , five guineas respectively , while the members of the Star Lodge of Instruction have made a handsome addition to the previous sum announced .

We learn from our contemporary , " The Mallet , " in " Glasgow Evening News , " that Bro . Phillips has the credit of having moved in Grand Committee that the three degrees should not be given in any Lodge on one night , which rule has now passed into

Grand Lodge laws . All honour to Bro . Phillips for taking the lead in this most desirable regulation , and all honour to the Scottish Brethren who so far supported him as to make the resolution a part of the laws of their Grand Lodge .