Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

We do not nold ourselves responsible / or the opinions of our Cor . respondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications . All Letters must hear the name and address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , out as a guarantee of good faith .

THE SURREY MASONIC HALL

To the Editor 0 / THE FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —On tho walls of the metropolis , and in the advertising columns of our newspapers , may , at this moment , be read the following announcement , viz .: — " To be Bold by Auction , by order of the Mortgagees , tho well built and very important Public Building known as the ' Surrey Masonio Hall . '"

Can this be read by any of the numerous members of our Craft in the South Metropolitan distriot without a twinge of conscience for non-assistance to a body of men who have done their best in the interests of Freemasonry , and have worked heartily and thoroughly against adverse circumstances to carry onfc an undertaking whioh it is admitted on all sides was not only a need , but of the greatest

importance in promoting the morale of tho Order by disassociating the practice of its ritual from the influence of tavern accommodation ? I cannot now stay to compute the number of brethren within the district , but feel assured that it is sufficiently large to warrant the assertion that a contribution averaging amongst them the value of our smallest golden coin would have sufficed to prevent so deplorable

a circumstance as the offer to public competition of tho handsome building the promoters have ereoted . In the report of the ceremony of laying the foundation , or , as it was termed , the memorial stone , in May 1874 , 1 find the statement that , for so long a period as ten years previously , strenuous endeavours had been made to secure such a building . The first association

formed for that purpose , under tho style of " The Masonic Hall Com . pany , " was registered under the Joint Stock Company's Acts 1856-7 by twenty-four brethren , the capital being stated at £ 5 , 000 , in shares of £ 1 each , and I well remember that its early expectations were bright , although at that time the number of South Metropolitan Freemasons bore no adequate proportion to the present number , and

the anticipations of tho later company . The enthusiasm it evoked , however , soon died out , and subsequent attempts proved also fruitless . Not daunted , although probably disheartened , several of the " twenty , four" still kept the project afloat , and waited the better opportunity which came at last , and in 1872 the two remaining of tho original promoters obtained the adhesion of other brethren , and with their

assistance the present company was formed . Tho capital was fixed at £ 3 , 000 only , in 600 shares of £ 5 each ; and it was , I think , not unreasonably assumed that from amongst tho many members of the Order surrounding the locality chosen for the Hall , so small a share list would be speedily filled . The directors laboured assiduously to interest both Lodges and individual brethren , and their project met

with universal approval and promises of snpport in all directions ; but the failure of former attempts had great influence in causing that support to be withheld until assurance in the shape of " bricks and mortar" was given . Then there would be no hesitation . Then shares should be taken and cheerful assistance given ! So by the munificent aid afforded by two or three of the Directors , the site was

selected , a portion of the bunding ereoted , and the memorial stone laid by the Prov . Grand Master , on the 29 th May 1874 , with great ecl & t , and still further approval and promises . And then began a time of trial for the Directors . Having committed themselves to the building of the Hall they must needs go on , and the usual result of monetary complications ensued . Differences of opinion arose amongst

the Directors as to this , that , and the other , plan of carrying out the project to completion in the face of difficulties occasioned by the non-fulfilment of the promises so apparently earnestly made . Again the liberality of individual members of the board , the architect , and the builder himself , prevented the " Surrey Masonic Hall" remaining a carcase to this day , and at last the " substantially built Public

Building of handsome elevation " was completed . But where wero all the promised shareholders ? Where the assurance of support ? It was never intended or announced that the Company should be a purely commercial speculation , or pay its shareholders moro than a merely nominal dividend . It was built , more than principally , for the uses of Freemasonry , and tho income from such use was to have covered

cost and annual expenditure . It will be a standing disgrace to the fraternity i £ the Hall ever becomes anything but a Masonic Hall . " It is there I" is the consolatory reflection of many who have spent time and money in the endeavour to raise it , and now it should be for others to keep it devoted to its original purpose . It has been a hard task for those who have connected themselves with this and

former attempts , and they have seen their associations gradually dissolved by death , removal , and other circumstances , until now the directory of the Company does not contain the name of any one of the originators of tho building . And it is in my personal knowledge that those who now form the Company have been equally unselfish in respect of both time and money as were their predecessors .

Surely the " Craft , " or that portion most nearly interested in the maintenance of such useful premises , should now take their part in the work , and save the building for its original purposes . How that can be done at this critical moment , I must confess myself unable to suggest ; bnt , nevertheless , something should be attempted , if

possible , to prevent so great a scandal to our Order as would be evidenced by an inability to keep what it has cost so much to obtain . In another week , aye , even after a few days , it may be too late to do anything . In a great dilemma even little hopes give much encouragement , and a suggestion which at another time might appear ridicu-Ions may be now worth some consideration , I venture to make one

Correspondence.

and although perhaps no good may come of it , who knows what it might lead to ? This will be read , I hope , by many on Saturday , tho 28 th inst . The auction is fixed for Tuesday , the 31 st . On MONDAT , the 30 th , at six in the evening , let all those who think some sort of consultation might not be altogether unproductive , meet at the Hall itself and see the outcome . It is a very impromptu summons , but Freemasons will be there to meet Freemasons , and them only . It is

but right that the general body should know how very unselfishly individuals have acted in the general interest , and although I have no present connection with them , I can " a tale unfold " so creditable to tho Directors of the Company , that in common fairness it should be hoard . And if they can be supported , and the building saved to the purpose for which it was dedicated , there are many Craftsmen who will rejoico equally with , Yonra very truly and fraternally , Clapham , 23 rd July 1877 . P . M ., P . Z .

THE ABUSE OF HOSPITAL RELIEF . To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —Allow me , a propos of your artiole on the subject of " Self-supporting Hospitals for the Working-Classes , " to draw the attention of your readers to a very important article in tho current number of the Edinburgh Sevimo on " Metropolitan Medical Belief . " The writer very strongly and very properly objects to the

indiscriminate administration of medical relief now so prevalent in London and our large towns , and strenuously advocates a large increase in the number of self-supporting Hospitals and Dispensaries . In the course of his remarks he points out that , after making reason , able allowance for those who may seek relief at more than one hospital , as well as for the fact that some applicants at the same hospital may

seek assistance more than once , and may therefore be reckoned over again , there are still about a million persons in London " who rely upon charitable aid in times of sickness , and who make no provision for their own medical necessities . " Further on is given the result of an inquiry instituted in October 1874 , " into the Social Position of the Out-Patients at the Eoyal Free Hospital . " A fair sample of the

applicants , to tho number of 641 , was selected , and the following is the classification of these : — ( 1 ) Numbor who could afford to pay a private practitioner , 12 ; ( 2 ) ditto , who could afford to subscribe to a provident dispensary , 231 ; ( 3 ) proper applicants , 169 ; ( 4 ) parish oases , 57 ; ( 5 ) numbers who gave false addresses , 103 ; ( 6 ) numbers about whom sufficient information was not obtained , 69 .

Excluding the 172 in classes five and six , we have 2 $ per cent , considered as able to pay for private practitioners , and 49 per cent , for provident dispensaries , 12 per cent , for parish assistance , while only 36 per cent , are classed as " proper applicants . " The caso of Liver , pool , with a population estimated at 521 , 544 , is also cited , from which it appears that , exclusive of 15 , 882 sick paupers who were treated

by the Poor-Law medical officers , there were no less than 172 , 594 out-patients attended at the various hospitals and dispensaries in the town in the year 1876 . This , after deducting the pauper cases as given , amounts to over one-third of the whole population . This is sufficiently strong evidence of the abuse of the present medical relief

system , and needs no comment -whatever . Let me , however , advise your readers , who may be interested in the question , to read the article for themselves . I will only add that 1 trust Bro . Jabez Hogg may succeed in his scheme . Fraternally yours , USE , BUT NOT ABUSE .

OF PROPOSING CANDIDATES . To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —I have read , with the utmost attention , your article on this subject , and I regret to say I can fully bear out your statement that the law as to proposing candidates i 3 systematically and continually violated , especially in London Lodges . I know , from my own experience , it is rare indeed to hear tho name of a

gentleman proposed for initiation in open Lodge . The proposer , a few days before the circulars calling tho meeting of the Lodge should be issued , simply sends to the Secretary the name , occupation , & c . of the candidate , which is inserted in the summons , and duly forwarded to the subscribing members of the Lodge , who thus receive their first notice of the intended addition to their ranks . On

the Lodge night , if the ballot be favourable , the candidate , who is , as a rule , in attendance , is initiated in due form , although mo 3 t assuredly the tongue of good report has observed the Masonio virtue of silenco in his favour . Here are three distinct violations of the law . In tho first place , without emergency , the candidate is not proposed at one Lodge and balloted for at the next regular Lodge . Secondly , granting

the emergent nature of tho case , the proposition is not sent to the Master , signed by two brethren , giving full particulars , " and the circumstances which cause the emergency , " thus allowing him to judge "if it be proper . " I am afraid that in most cases the first intimation the W . M . has is the announcement in the Lodge summons , " To ballot for , and if elected , to initiate Mr . Blank Blank , & c , proposed by Bro . Chose P . M . " Thirdly , before the ballot be taken , it is

the imperative duty of the Master of the Lodge to " cause the proposition and emergency" ( that I take to mean , the reason of the departure from the law , hereby permitted ) " to be recorded in the minute book of the Lodge . " ( See pp . 83-84 , Book of Constitutions ) . Now I do not hesitate to say , that this law is never obeyed in tho London Lodges ; and no record appears in their minutes to justify these violations of the Constitutions , which render thorn liable to pains and penalties should the Board of General Purposes take the