Lost Opportunities.

brethren—reduced to the lowest depths of poverty and distress—who , when wet , and worn , and footsore , have applied , in their last despairing moment almost , at the door of a Lodge for help , and have been " sent empty

away ? " It is pad ; it is matter for more Mian regret , but it is no exaggeration to aver such cases have happened . It may he—and was in the instance brought under out own observation—that the lapse occurred through

individual carelessness or absent-minded ness . Tho Secretary might have been " too busy to attend to the applicant just now , " or " the Almoner was not present , " or something of the kind . Once in onr experience the Secretary , who was

a Past Master of his Lodge , was apprised of a distressed brother waiting outside the door of the banquet-room , and tardily , after being several times reminded of the fact , he proceeded to "investigate the matter . " He returned to

the festive board , and said " the man was undoubtedly all right , " and so forth ; but he did not relieve him , and the shivering , hungry wretch slid out into the wintry sleet and slush , downcast and despairing , before some who had

overheard tbe conversation could capture him , as they tried to do . Out upon such exponents of . Masonio charity ! An hour after , and the same worthy Past Master was " tossing" with one or two other brethren for " drinks

round ! From this brief narration it may be set down that the Lodge was not a very distinguished one ; but it was a Masonio Lodge , after all , and the conduct referred to speaks for itself . Here was an opportunity , not lost

but culpably thrown away , though we still believe the responsibility rested alone with the should-have-been Almoner , and was unknown to the rest of the Lodge . We have seen also another class of opportunity lost in

consequence of sheer indifference—of a brother upon whose countenance Death had placed his mark , and whose tottering limbs had for months been scarce able to carry him about . It is no plea that the

brethren of his Lodge were not apprised of the facts of the case , and no excuse that the half paralysed brother who had been prevented by pecuniary reverses from subscribing to the funds of his Lodge for

some years previously . He was still a brother ; yet he was allowed to pass away to the Silent Land without a helping hand to cheer his last moments , except for extraneous efforts made successfully to provide him a few necessaries and comforts in his last illness . This sounds like a

commentary upon " Brotherly Love , Relief , and Truth ; ' but there is no reason why it should be concealed , or that while we so proudly and justly point to the vast benefits conferred upon humanity by the Masonic Craft , little flaws

in our almost perfect system should not be pointed out with a view to preveut their recurrence . " All that glitters is not gold ; " and although cases like those we have cited are happily of such rare occurrence that they strike us

with overpowering force , yet it is no less true that opportunities are sometimes lo > t which might have placed yet other jewels in the Masonic diadem . As a rule , in all dispensations of Charity the whining , undeserving , but

practised applicant succeeds the best , while many a poor fellow with one foot in the grave is allowed to want simply from the fact that he has not the temerity of his more experienced rivals . The lesson to be drawn is , that there

are always opportunities cropping up around us of detecting sham and imposture , and of relieving the reall y necessitous , and that neither the one nor the other should be lost , or regarded with indifference .

Our Masonic Guild Legends.

OUR MASONIC GUILD LEGENDS .

ONE of the most striking branches of Masonic research which has occupied the revival of Masonic Literature and attracted the attention of Masonic students has been , for some time past , the collection and collation of

those curious Masonic Guild Legends , which have such an abiding interest whether for our Fraternity or the Archaeologist .

We who can call to mind the past history of that specific stud y and subject , must always experience no little astonishment and pleasure when we realize to-day what has been its outcome in these later years , since all seem

seasonabl y to appreciate its real importance , and its effect necessaril y on all Masonic speculations and theories . Curiously enough , too , let us note here , it is not a new discovery ; it is not even a purely modern movement alone ; but as

Our Masonic Guild Legends.

history always repeats itself , it is the revification of an effort to master the indicia ? and forms of Masonic life and enstoms . In 1722 , for instance , Roberts published a copy , most

probably , of the Harleian MS . 1942 . In 1723 Anderson modernized and put forth a condensation of some of the Guild Legends , which it is not quite certain , in the first issue of the Constitutions . In 1728 Reid , then Grand

Secretary , made two replicas ( probably more ) of the Cooke ' s MS ., so-called , for Bros . Lord Coleraine and W . Cowper . In 1728 Cole published ( and again in 1751 ) a copper plate edition of a Constitution , probably a compiled one , and not original .

In 1738 Anderson repeated and enlarged his publication , and is said to have used in part the Stone MS . ( now unknown ) , certainly the Harleian 1942 , and probably one or two more . In 1739 Bro . Dodd published a Constitution of very

dubious paternity . Cole put out , in 1751 , and after , more than one copy of his ordinary edition . In 1794 the Freemasons' Magazine contained a copy of Cole ' s MS . of 1728 . Iu this century , beginning with Dowland 1815 , and other

publications hero and there , Hughan , in 1872 , published his really great work . Mr . Halliweil— -we may note passing on , —had published the Masonic Poem about 1842 , and Matthew Cooke the Additional MS . about 1865-6 . But it

may truly be said to Bro . Hughan ' s publication , in 1872 , we owe to-day the great interest and importance with which the subject has become naturally invested for Masonic

students . Since that great epoch in the history of these Legends fresh discoveries of the Guild Legends have been made , and their number vastly increased .

It is probable that we have not even yet exhausted the MSS ., and we certainl y are not yet able definitively to sum up the result of our researches . The interest , as we said before , now accruing to the whole subject , since the

reality of the Legends has been ascertained , and their archaic claims recognised by students , has led some writers , as often happens , rather hastily to assume that they are at present in a position , though confessedly on incomplete

data , to divide the MSS . into families or groups ; to pronounce , moreover , hastily on their comparative value ; to give special praise to some forms , to depreciate others , and even "to start a hare , " that a few of them have in them

the tokens of a fictitious assumption of date or archaism , either fortuitously or for a set purpose . We believe that no more inexpert view ., ( indeed a thoroughly iconoclastic one ) , of the matter has ever been propounded .

In the first place , wo are not yet in a position , and shall not be for some time , arbitraril y or dogmatically , as the case may be , to separate the various MSS . into families or groups ; and , in the second place , a much closer study ,

as between manuscripts and evidences , whether of epoch , custom or terminology , must be given to them before we can rightly or judiciously seek to arrive at any such conclusions .

We should announce that in this way we are treating old MSS ., real and valuable " codices" per se , from our modern views , from our acquired knowledge , not as they are in themselves aud by themselves , and very often

only from our own special " fads" to-day . Having emerged from one era of uncriticism , we seem to fall into another equally hurtful , and are yielding ourselves up to " post hoc propter hoc " assumptions alone .

So we may say then , unchallenged we think , that all the MSS . have a value ; all exist bond fide ; some no doubt are clearer than others ; and some possess more distinct

points o- contact than others , but all deserve careful consideration and study . To exalt the age of one , or lower the age of another , because one and each do not accord with certain modern notions and fancies of our

own , as we before pointed out is the reality of empiricism , of uncritical weakness , and is certain to react on all our studies , and shake the opinion by experts of the actual value of Masonic criticism and Masonic erudition . Having

said this by way of friendly warning , a warning as we deem from certain recent utterances much needed , we beg to add that we hail gladly all fellow labourers in this most interesting branch of Masonic archaeology ,

and welcome all contributions to the subject , as all tend in some way or another to diffuse information and promote discussion , and experts can pick out the peck

of wheat from the bushel of chaff . There always are , there always will be , differences and divergencies ou this or that in antiquarian discussions and disq * : - ' - 'n ; . and it »'