Correspondence.

is addicted , it is of very little moment whether thoy are more or les * founded on facts , bat when the leading portion of the paper is used to impart information referring to important meetings c f a Charity Crmmittee it would be ns Avell that the introduction of fictions shnnM be avoided . I read in the issue for the 10 th instant that "the election of the Collector for tho Royal Masonic Benevolent

Institution will take place , according to former precedents , on tho lath instant . " To Avhat former precedents does the writer refer ? Does he mean to imply that loth Jnly has hitherto been the date on which all elections for vacant offices have been held ? If so it would nofc bo difficult to shoAV that there is little or no foundation for this statement , whilst the assertion thafc it was intended to hold the meeting

referred to on the loth instant was equally erroneous . Tho writer might havo ascertained , from the Calendar—had no other source of information been open to him—that the General Committee Meeting of tho R . M . B . I , was fixed for 14 th July , he might Avith little trouble have learned , if ho did not already know , that it was intended to elect the Collector on that day , but if he knew nothing about fche matter it

is to be regretted thafc he should have misled his readers by attempting to give information on a subject of which ho was ignorant . In the next issue , and in the same conspicuous form , it was stated that " Bro . John Mason was elected to the vacant post of Collector by a considerable majority . " Let us see how far this statement is justified by the facts . The report of the meeting shows an attendance

of about fifty members . Thero were forty-six candieates for tho otlir -, of whom three were declared ineligible , seventeen found no supporters , twenty obtained six votes or less , and six AVBTO selected for a further ballot . Of these six , Bro . Mason had seventeen votes , Speight sixteen , Worrell eighteen , the others less than ten each . The " considerable majority " for Bro . Mason does not appear at this stage . On a final vote for the highest three , Bro . Speight scored seven ,

Bro . Worrell fourteen , and Bro . Mason ( successful ) sixteen , so that the " considerable majority " resolves itself into sixteen out of thirtyseven votes , and a majority of two over the next highest candidates . As facts , figures and truth are evidently beneath the attention of the Editor , would it nofc be as well if he Avere to leave these to be dealt with by the reporters , Avhen he Avoulrl probably have leisure to give his undivided energies to the composition of personal abuse , and to the sfcndy of the epistles of his virtuous correspondent " B . F . " ? Yours fraternally , 21 sfc July 1880 . H .

PAUCITY OF CHAIRMEN .

To the Editor of the FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR . SIR AND BROTHER , —lam glad you have drawn attention to the fact of one brother so frequently occupying the chair at the meetings of the Committees and Courts of our Institutions . I agree Avith yon thafc no one would be so ill advised or exhibit such bad taste as to

question that worthy brother ' s zeal a nd ability in the cause of Masonry , but " nevertheless and notwithstanding" as schoolboys say . his zeal and ability do not affect the valne of your criticism which , if I read ifc rightly , is directed against alloAving all these meetings , held , as they are , in respect of different Institutions , to be influenced by the tone uf one brother .. But after all the fault rests nofc AvHh this individual

member of the Courts or Committees , & c , but with those who make a point of voting him into the chair . Possibly they do this out of compliment to his Masonic standing , and no doubt it is desirable to have a brother experienced in the duties of a chairman presiding on these occasions . But that does not make it the less impolitic to have

one mind governing the proceedings of these Committees , Avhether they are connected with the Boys' School , the Girls' School , or the Benevolent . Let us nofc make the mistake of always electing the same chairman , lesfc in the course of time we find that the Comim ' ttes and Courts are ruled by a dictator instead of by a chairman or president .

There is also another and equally practical reason Avhy the practice you have drawn attention to shonld be avoided . It is unwise to have only one string to your bow . There is tho likelihood thafc the one string may in time get frayed and disturb the acenracy of the marksman , or it may be subjected to a tension beyond its strength aud Snap asunder , in Avhich caseof coursethe hnw heenmna Tiselesa

, , So if the chairman of the Committees and Conrts of our three Institutions shonld one day , from one cause or other , be unable to attend , where will be found a brother , having any experience in presiding , to take his place ? The rule thafc forbids a brother being Master of a Lodge for longer than two years consecutively is a wise one , as , in the course of time , every Lodge has a fair complement of lecaren

" competent to direct its labours . And if this is true of a «) d ge , which has only its own business to take into account , ifc must certainl y be true of bodies which have charge of fche management of < arge Institution s , such as our Schools and Benevolent Fund . . „ Let us noAV and then have a little variety in the way of Presidents , 1 it be only out of compliment to the French proverb against CUc monotony of " partridge always . " Yours faithfully , T .

THE GREAT PTRAMID is in danger—nofc from toppling over , but rom being stolen aAvay . The Khedive is building a new mosqne , ^ na he can find nothing better to build ifc than from stones out of the real P yramid . Five centuries ago the samo pyramid Avas plundered

int r another mosque . We hope the Government will teriere . Those of onr readers who wish to behold this greatest eat _ m O perative Masonry before ifc is despoiled by subtraction . hiIi l A P ° ssible removal to this country , like Cleopatra ' s Needle , Ifa , ter secnre fcbeir tickets fol > the Great Pyramid at once . —

Royal Masonic Pupils' Assistance Fund Bazaar.

ROYAL MASONIC PUPILS' ASSISTANCE FUND BAZAAR .

11 HE Committee desire to dispose of such goods as have remained unsold , for which purpose they will he on view at the Great HaU , Freemnsows' Tavern , Great Queen Street , W . C ., on Monday , 26 th instant , from six p . m . They solicit the attendance of the fraternity and supporters of the Fund , as a large addition is anticipated thereto . It

may be interesting to state that the goods offered will be sold without reserve . The sale will be open to all who may attend . The articles to be submitted compi-ise amongst others , Works of Art ( one by J . E . Meadows ) , Chromo-Lithographs , a valuable Screen , Sewing Machine ,

Household requisites , Electro-plated Ware , by Mappin aud Webb , Rocking-horse , an exquisitely bound and valuable Family Bible , Photographs , Prize Medal Berceaunette , and various other goods .

Facsimile Photographs of the Petition to . H . R . H . the Prince of Wales and Lord Carnarvon , containing a most unique collection of Masonic Autographs , 5 s each , or 7 s Gd framed .

By the death during the present week , firstly , of the Earl of Kintore , and then of the Earl of Dalhousie , two distinguished Freemasons become entitled to sit in the hereditary House of Parliament—namely , Lord Inverurie ,

eldest son of the former , who unsuccessfully contested the metropolitan borough of Chelsea in the Conservative interest , and Lord Ramsay ( now Earl of Dalhousie ) , the Liberal representative of Liverpool in the House of Commons . Lord Inverurie is Grand Senior Warden of the

Grand Lodge of Scotland for the present year , and is also Provincial Grand Master for Kincardineshire , besides being the representative at his Grand Lodge of the Grand Lodge of Missouri , U . S . A ., Second Grand Sojourner in the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland , and

a leading member of other Masonic bodies . The new Earl of Dalhousie , following in the footsteps of several of his ancestors , has also distinguished himself in our ranks , and only a short time since , owing to the pi-essure of his engagements , resigned the Provincial Grand Mastership of Forfarshire . The name of Dalhousie is an honoured ..

one both in English and Scottish Masonry , ancl two of our Lodges , both by a singular coincidence Avarranted in the year 18 ( 31 , bear testimony to the respect in which the immediate predecessor of the recently deceased Earl was held in Ensrland . We are referring , of course , to the late

Earl of Dalhousie , K . T ., G . C . B ., better knoAvn , perhaps , to the British public as Lord Panmure , who for many years held the offices of Grand Master Mason of Scotland and Deputy Grand Master of England . The late Lord Panmure succeeded to the Earldom on the death of his

distinguished relative , the first and last Marquis of that ilk , the celebrated Gov .-General of India , and also Past G . M . of Scotland , who presided over the destinies of that portion of our Empire during the period of the second Punjab and secondBurmese wars , which resulted in the annexation of the

Punjab , aud an increase in the extent of British Burmah . His last act of State importance was the annexation of Octde , which , though regarded as questionable policy afc

fche time , and by many held to have caused the " Mutiny , " has added amazingly to the stability of our Indian Empire , and conferred undoubted benefits on Oude itself .

The Durham correspondent of the Daily Telegraph states that : — " His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales , Most Worshipful Ca-and Master , has appointed Tuesday , 26 th October , for the installation of the Mosfc Noble the Marquis of Londonderry as fche Provincial Grand Master of the

Province of Durham . The ceremony will take place in the City of Durham , and will be performed either by the Earl of Carnarvon , Pro Grand Master of England , or the Earl

of Lathom , Deputy Grand Master of England . His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales , it is believed will he the guest of the Marqnis of Londonderry , at Wynyard Park , and will honour the installation with his presence .

The Summer Banquet of the St . Thomas's Lodge , No . 142 , was held on Thursday , 15 th July , at the Forest Hotel , Chingford . Bro . G . Powell W . M . presided . After the dinner a capital selection of music was performed by Madame Worrell , Miss Matilda Roby , and Bro . Seymour Smith .