The School Elections.

state of affairs which roust be looked upon as most gratifying to all interested in this particular Institution . Tei of the candidates havo taken part in previous contests ; one , Edith Brown , now making her seventh application , with but 110 votes to her credit . This is hei

last chance ; her aj ; e shutting her out if unsuccessful on this occasion . The throe next cases are fourth application : —Margaret McKinney has 10 , Augusta Holer Nicholls 70 , and Martha Jane Chonles Fry 6 votes , to their credit . The first named is also a last application case .

Annie Elizabeth Tnrner has made two previous attempts , on which occasions 45 votes have been placed to her credit The next five cases are second applications : —No . 10 Edith Mary Orridero being also a last appeal ; she has already

secured 1125 votes , so that her chance of success is pretty certain . Of the other four , Constance Faith Wvman has 1025 votes in hand , Lilian Marv S . Shrapnel 492 . Nellie Louise Walters 316 and Alice Gertrude Cleaver 173 . It

is unnecessary for us to give details of the fourteen first application cases , beyond mentioning that No . 22 , Jane Mildred Taylor , has but this one chance of securing a place in the School , by reason of the age limit . The Boys' list unfortunately does not hold out so much

hope to the friends of the several candidates as does that of the sister Institution , for here there are no less than sixty five applicants to compete for but twelve vacancies . The election takes place on Monday , the 10 th October . Of the sixty-five candidates , seventeen appear now for the

first time , seventeen others have made one previous attempt , ten have competed twice , twelve three times , five four times , and four five times ; while of the sixty-five , ten have but this chance of securing a place . The number of votes brought forward by the several candidates who have

already taken part in previous elections is as usual very varied , ranging from 1311 in the case of Arthur Fellows , No . 1 on the list , to one in the case of both Nos . 17 and 47 , while No . 48 , who took part in the election of April last , has none yet polled to his credit . As we

have pointed out on many previous occasions , these figures are in themselves but a very poor guide as to the amount of support a candidate may rely on , and this becomes every day more noticeable as the Associations for the concentration of voting power extend their operations . A case may

be allowed to appear time after time on the ballot paper without any apparent effort being made to assist the friends in the attainment of their desire , and yet all the time the Province or party to which the case is attached may have been working hard , and , at the opportune moment

may be able to poll sufficient votes to secure for the child the benefits of the School . In conclusion , we can but express the hope that the most deserving cases will receive the support of the subscribers ; but in this , as in many other instances , we think personal

influence alone is but of little service ; indeed , to such an extent is this now the case , that candidates stand but a very poor chance of securing a place without they have many influential friends to work for them . This state of affairs is doubtless greatly to be regretted , but so long as

we are unable to satisfy all the calls made on our Benevolence it will of necessity exist . It has been pointed out on previous occasions , and we think might again be taken into consideration , whether it is not advisable for a time to enforce some more stringent regulations in order to lessen

the number of candidates who are passed , and thereby rendered eligible for a place on the ballot papers ; and yet this course would but be an evasive way of lessening the roll of distress . If Masons are ashamed of the way the Schools are now obliged to treat a large majority of the

candidates , there is fine field open to them to remove the evil by making further efforts to raise tbe necessary funds . We are aware the requirements of the Institutions are already heavy , but think there are a few fields from which fresh or increased crops might be realised by kindly and energetic working .

"Dalcho's Orations."

" DALCHO'S ORATIONS . "

BY BRO . JACOB NORTON .

SINCE I wrote on "McCosb ' s Documents , " I obtained two kindred works , viz : Maekey ' s history of Masonry in South Carolina , and Dalcho ' s Orations . From the former I learned that the audacious New York Cerneanites had actually invaded the very Mecca of Supreme Councildom . Cerneaa established a " Consistory

"Dalcho's Orations."

> f tho Rnhlime Princes of thp Rival Secret ( 32 nd decree ) in Charleston " splf , and in 1823 tbe Grand Master of Snntb Carolina , ns well as a ' \ G . M ., wpro at . tho head of tbe Cornenn Council . For a imp the rival Charleston Snblim s merelv pelted each other with ho classical high grade epithets of "spurious , clandestine , illegiti . nsite , " & e . ; this however did not effect tho Grand Lodge , hut some

¦ onVotinns m . nd » in 182 ' } by McCn ^ h paused the Grand Master to ' all upon the Grand Lodgo for protection . Tho cause of this out . break is so onrions that I must give it in full . In 1820 , Bro . Mitchell the Sovereign G . O . died ; his widow fonnd among his papers the ritnal of tho 33 degrees , and she sold il to

'hirreeu Masons . The thirteen probably intended to open a high grndo concern of their own , bnt the Cerneanites offered to tho Sublime tho thirteen gratis if they surrendered the ritnal to them ; this bar . gain would havo been accomp'ished if Dalcho , McCosh , and Co . had not convinced tho thirteen that the Cerneauites were a spurious Bodv .

The qnestion being- bronght before the Grand Lodge , and matters beginning- to lool ? serious , Bro . Dilcho undertook to become a peace maker , and ho succeeded in getting- one party to sign a paoer , that no offence was intended to the G . M . and P . G . M ., and the other party signed another paper expression satisfaction with the apology . When the Grand Lodge met , the Grand Master made a long address

praising the influence of Masonry to the skies , and wound np with reading an epistle of St . Peter , with a fervent prayer besides . Every , thing seemed satisfactorily settled , but , alas ! there was no sincerity in all those professions , for soon after the Grand Master and Bro . Dalobo ( who was Grand Chaplain ) declined re-election , and both then ceased to have further connection with any kind of Masonry .

Bro . Dalcho is said by Mackey to have been born in England in 1769 . His uncle at Baltimore sent for him when quite young ; there he studied for the medical profession . Afterwards he became army surgeon , attached to a regiment stationed at Charleston . The regiment was disbanded in 1790 . Dalcho afterwards made some voyages , as ship ' s snrgeon , to Afrioa . In 1800 he went into partnership in

Charleston with Dr . Auld ( who was a high grader ) . Dalcho was probably an Ancient Yorker ; he certainly was a member in 1817 of the Ancient Grand Lodge in Charleston , but . where or when he was initiated is nnknown . In 1801 he was a 33 ° , and in 1803 he was a 53 rd . In 1802 he wrote the Report published by McCosh in 1823 . In 1807 he edited an edir . ion of " Ahiman Rezon . " In 1817 he took

orders in the Episcopal Chnrch , and also became Chaplain of the Grand Lodge . * As such , he sermonized on the St . Johns' Days rega . larly , hut his Masonic Sermons were probably never printed . In 1823 he severed himself from Masonry , and he died in 1836 . The book before me contains two Orations ; the first was delivered 23 rd September 1801 , and the second on the 21 st March 1803 .

The Irish High Graders were pleased with Bro . Dalcho s Orations ; thev asked his permission to reprint them in Dublin , and having obtained the permission , they accordingly issued a Dublin edition , which edition is now before me . In the work itself , Appendix A , B , C , and D are referred to . Appendix A is merely a reprint of the "Report of 1802 ( see my article OP McCosh ' s Documents ) , with some

additional notes . Appendix D is omitted in tho Dublin edition , and I notice some mntilation in another Appendix . The subjects treated in these Orations may be divided into ethical and historical . The former is excellent , and with the exception of his harping about the Bible being the great Masonic Light , there are no sectarian tendencies in these Orations ; but , on the contrary , he tried to impress his audience with the Masonic duty of

extinguishing national and religions prejudices , & c . But about his history , with the exception of being well posted about the origin of the Ancients and Moderns , the remainder is a tissue of nonsense ; here is a specimen of it , taken from the second Oration : — "When the sun enters the sign of Aries and Libra , the days and nights are equally divided throughout the two hemispheres . Upon this circumstance is founded the immemorial cnstom in the Snblime

Grand Lodge of delivering orations on the principles of the mystic union on the days of equinoxes . This system is emblematical of the equality which shonld reign among Masons , without distinction of country or nation ; withont prejudice to religion or sect ; without regard to riches or poverty ; a Mason should view the great mystic family as united to him by the bonds of affection , " & c .

The above paragraph would have been faultless if he had not in . troduced a reference to an immemorial custom of the Sublime Grand Lodge , when his Sublime Grand Lodge was not immemorial . That Dalcho was not a foolish Masonio dreamer may be judged from the following . He says" That onr adorable Creator was the Grand Architect of heaven

and earth , none bnt madmen can doubt ; bnt that onr primordial parent was a Freemason , because he sewed two or three fig-leaves together , is too insignificant a proposition to require a serious refuta . tion . No , my respectable brethren , we degrade ourselves and onr illustrious Society by advocating such nntenable doctrines ; and those voluminous plodders of Masonic history , who make Masons of

every man of note , from Adam to Nimrod , and from Nimrod to Solomon , down to the present day , certainly deserve much credit for their industry , but none for their talents . Tndeed , we have incontestable proofs that many of the number whom they enumerated were perfectly ignorant of the mystic institution . . . . Because a story has been re l ated in one way for an hundred years past , is not alone sufficient to stamp it with truth . It must carry on the face of it

the appearance of probability , and if it is not a subject which can be tried bv evidence and authentic history , and by just reasoning and established data , it will never be received by an enlightened mind on the ipse dixit of any one . " The above shows that Bro . Dalcho possessed the power of reasoning correctly , but here follows some of his absurdities , he says , " I am of opinion that the ancient society of Free and Accepted Masons was