Coloured Masonry.

tion of Foreign Lodges , and to retain them on her Register . but against this we should place the emphatic statement made by tho Wardens of American Union Lodge , No . 1 , in n letter on the 5 th May 5791 , and now published nndei authority of the Grand Lodge of New York , to the effect

" that since the Avar , the Masonic bodies in the different States have considered themselves independent of Europe , have formed their Grand Lodges , " & c , & c . This , be it remembered , is a statement made by brethren of standing in a most important official document . This , in fact , is an authentic declaration obtained from the records of

contemporaneous Masonic History to the effect that when the United States achieved their political independence of Europe , they considered themselves Masonically indepen dent likewise . These said Wardens most probably took part in the political , as they certainly did in the Masonic

events of their day . Their statement , made by order of their Lodge to the Grand Lodge of NOAV York , was made under a deep sense of responsibility . It is completely in accordance with common sense , that Masonio independence should have accompanied political

independence . England may have claimed to exercise Masonic jurisdiction within the territories of the United States ; she may have issued charters for the formation of new Lodges . It was clearly competent , however , for America to deny her any such authority . The

contemporary statement we have quoted proves , beyond the possibility of a doubt , that , in the opinion of these Ohian brethren , " the Masonic bodies in the different States " did consider themselves , when the Avar was over , independent of Europe . Thus it matters not if the Coloured Masonic

organisations of to-day can trace back their origin , step by step , from HOAV to the Lodge for Avhich , in 1784 , Prince Hall sought a charter of Grand Lodge of England . In the face of the Wardens' declaration Ave have quoted , the issue of that warrant was clearly ultra vires , and , of course ,

unrecognisable by the Masonic bodies in the United States , who , " since the war" had " considered themselves independent of Europe . " It Avas further authoritativel y announced in the same document that , in the event of other Lodges being established within the said territory ,

northwest of the Ohio , " we consider ourselves as being the Masonic body , corporated Avithin the Federal territories , duly invested Avith every poAver necessary to constitute , rule , and govern the same , agreeably to tbe Constitutions and ancient customs of the Royal Craft throughout the

world . " At this time , there were no other Lodges in the Ohian territory . Clearly none subsequently established could possibly be permitted to override this declaration . This , hoAvever , concerns Ohio only , and is merel y by Avay of supplement to the main argument , Avhich we state

emphatically as folloAvs : —No Masonic organisations in the United States , of foreign origin , have any just claim to recognition by the several State Grand Lodges . African Lodge , the parent of these Coloured Masonic organisations , never had a legal status ; for , if

the facts are as we have stated , its warrant was obtained from a foreign Grand Lodge , —that of the Moderns , England—in 1784 , Avhen already the Masonic bodies in the States considered themselves independent . And as time went on and Freemasonry came to be better

organised in the different States and Territories of the Union , as in one after the other of these States , the doctrine of exclusive jurisdiction Avithin the limits of each became generally recognised—under these circumstances ,

Ave do not see how it . is possible for the different State Grand Lodges to retain their full rights aud privileges , while at the same time recognising other Masonic bodies within the limits of their respective jurisdictions .

Upon the question Avhat is the best policy to pursue , Ave offer no opinion here . Our purpose was to settle , if possible , the status of the so-called coloured Masonic organizations existing in various of the United States . Tbe conclusion Ave

arrive at is dead against their legality . If a member of one of these organisations should present himself as a visitor to one of onr Lodges , Ave should rule that he is not eligible for admission .

' The Consecration of the Tredegar Lodge , No . 1625 , will take place on Wednesday next , at the Royal Hotel , Mile End Road , E . The ceremonies of Consecration and Installation Avill be perfo > m"d ly the Very Worshipful Bro . John Hervey , Grand Secretary ; Bro . Charles Lacey , P . M . 174 , is the W . M . designate . Tne proceedings -will commence at three o ' clock .

Freemasonry And Promotion In The Army.

FREEMASONRY AND PROMOTION IN THE ARMY .

A CORRESPONDENT of the Dublin Freeman ' s Journal , AY ho signs himself JUSTITIA , writes | complainingly of "the Avorking of the Craft , " and " in the interest of Catholic Irishmen and others who do not hold with the

principles of the Secret Society called Freemasonry , who enter her Majesty ' s Service , " appeals to that journal for its moral and intellectual support against the evil-doings of Craftsmen . The grounds of its appeal are these : "In a certain regiment , at present stationed in India , the

commanding officer , and many of the officers under him , being Freemasons , a shameful mode of promoting all those Avho join the society is at present in vogue . " This is a grave charge to make—that gentlemen in high places , and bearing her Majesty ' s commission , are guilty of malfeasance in

the fulfilment of their duties—and Ave naturally , of course , expect that a reasonable amount of circumstantial evidence Avould be adduced in support of it . Accordingly , Ave looked most carefully at the sentences Avhich followed . The first of these began : " In proof of this

assertion , " and Ave read on most patiently , and at the same time with rather serious misgivings that some very ugly disclosures Avere on the point of being made . We know Freemasons are no more immaculate than other men , and , while hoping it was not so , we yet thought it possible that

some partiality might have been shown toAvards fellow Craftsmen . If members of the same family take more kindly to each other than even to the worthiest among strangers , Ave thought it not altogether surprising that members of a certain societv should exhibit a greater

degree of interest in the success of their fellow members than in that of outsiders . This , Ave say , is perfectly natural ; but Avhen the feeling is carried beyond this point , to the extent of adA-ancing a fellow member ' s interests to the detriment of the outsiders , then , of course , it is to be

expected that such partiality should be publicly challenged . We read on , therefore , most carefully . We did not conceive it possible that a man Avould Avrite to a public journal , having , of course , a full sense of the responsibility attaching to such a course , and , above all

things , signing himself JUSTITIA , Avithout being able to produce something tangible in the Avay of evidence , And what found Ave in support of this serious charge ? Nothing more than a counter-statement , unsupported by a single tittle of proof . Lest our readers should think-Ave are

exaggerating the case , we transcribe the very words of JUSTITIA himself . " In proof of this assertion , " says he , " I leg to state that the late Sergeant-Major , Avho a short time since had been promoted to the rank of Quartermaster in the regiment , his successor , and the

Assistaut-Sergeant-Major are all members of the Craft . The bandmaster is a Freemason , and out of eight colour-sergeants , four are members of the same society . There is no Freemason in this regiment under the rank of sergeant , and widoultedly all those Avho have become members of the

society have done so solely for the purpose of obtaining favour and promotion . " A few Avords in this passage % ve have italicised for reasons Avhich mnst be obvious . JUSTITIA ' proof is merely a statement that certain members in this regiment are Freemasons , and that all who join our

Society do so in order to ensure their OAvn advancement . He does not say , much less does he attempt to prove , that the quartermaster , bandmaster , the colour-sergeants Avere promoted , to the detriment of other men in the regiment , merely because they were members of our Society . He

states that these , and others he enumerates , hold a certain rank in the regiment , and are likewise Freemasons . True , he takes npon himself , in the latter clause of his so-called proof , to affirm that men join onr Society solely for the purpose of gaining promotion . What assurance have we of

the justice of JUSTITIA ' assertion ? Has he the power of analysing men ' s motives ? or have these men , of the rank of sergeant and higher still—have they , one and all , taken him into their confidence ancl plainly announced to him that the sole object they had in view in becoming Freemasons , was

to obtain favour and promotion ? Will JUSTITIA enumerate the sergeants ancl others of the regiment , Avho have not obtained promotion by reason of their not being members of

our Society ? Until he can show that the men he refers to did obtain a step or steps of promotion solely because they Avere Freemasons , Avhile others , Avho were not Freemasons , were passed over or neglected , unless he can prove the